A Forgotten Past: Parts 1 - 5
by Selena Style
Summary: A battle with Piedmon and a mysterous digi destined are haunting Matt's dreams. However, as time wears on this dig destined proves to be the true 8th child they have been searching for so long. Taiora, Mimoe, and some humor. Part 5: The others finally bri
1. Part 1- Dreams and Reality

Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon or any of the other characters except the ones I have created.

Author's note: This is my first fan fiction and I hope you all like it. Please deal with me on some changes I have made to the story line such as Kari decided not to come with them and Gatomon isn't her digimon (which will be further explained as the series goes on). Thanks and enjoy!

And then the battle began.

It was if it came from out of no where. A sound that penetrated their eardrums and caused the hair on the back of their necks to stand up. It came closer, and closer still. The invisible enemy. They weren't ready and even if they were, it wouldn't have mattered for the events that were to come. 

Vilemon. Vicious Vilemon coming out of the sky like lightning bolts ready to strike. The digi destened looked up at the sky towards these flying monkeys. Their digimon did the same. They knew. It was their hour to shine. 

War-Greymon and Metal-Garurumon lead the attack with their digi-destined counter parts close at hand. 

****

"Terra force!"

"Metal Wolf Claw!"

The Vilemon screamed in pain as they were deleted in a blinding light. However, there was no time to celebrate as hundreds more came swooping in. The digi destined were strong, stronger than they had ever been. They had come close to defeat many times, but now there was no choice, but to win. 

Matt felt his adrenaline pumped to the max. He hadn't felt this charged about a battle for a long time. All feelings of regret or remorse were gone. Nothing mattered, but to set the digiworld free once and for all. 

Matt stopped for a moment to scope the battle that lay before him. He saw Mimi and Joe riding Zeudomon with Lilymon flying overhead. By looking at their dead-set expressions, Matt realized how much his friends had changed. 

To his other side were Garudramon and Mega Kabuterimon, back to back in a strategic plan that could only have been thought of by the genius Izzy and the loving Sora. They seemed tense and excited just as Matt felt. 

In front of him, he saw his admired little brother TK, who Matt believed at a time needed to be guarded at all costs. TK . . . so innocent, so young, who knew how much he could become. Angemon, swooped down and picked up the boy and carried him off towards safety. Matt followed their image towards the horizon until they had become just a shadow.

But then came Tai, their leader. His image was highlighted by the glowing crest hanging around his neck. Tai, the one who was always there – begging the group to go on, to fight. This boy had the choice whether to succeed or to fail, and Tai always won. 

Matt was awestruck by the force that surrounded them. The power, the ability, the willingness to never go down with out a fight. _They don't care what happens to them . . .as long as it makes a difference._

But suddenly Matt saw Angemon racing out of the sky being chased by Vilemon. TK was in his arms trembling with fright. There were too many of them to fight for one digimon! Matt felt his heart race and his fears were soon answered as he saw one of the Vilemon take a shot at Angemon causing him to let TK go and fall towards the ground. Suddenly, Matt felt his muscles tightened and he found he had lost his ability to move. Frozen with anger, he was barely able to scream.

"TK!!!", cried Matt and his eyes began to well up with tears. 

Then the light came.

****

"Cosmic Crystal Power!" 

Matt had never heard that attack before. He saw an image of a fairly large digimon fly up towards TK and catch him in her arms. This digimon seemed odd, and yet familiar at the same time. Matt found himself racing towards the bottom of the hill he was standing on to find the strange digimon and TK. 

This new digimon was large, but not nearly the size of Garudramon. It was obviously cat type and definitely female by her physical features. The digimon had long black pants covering the lower part of her furry body. Up top, she wore a dark green halter -top with an emerald pendant hanging around the neck. The fur was a very light golden brown with equally colored hair flowing down to her waist. But the most remarkable feature on this digimon, was the huge wings on its back that were bigger and much more grand than any he had ever seen. Matt was dumbfounded. 

He finally spotted TK being set down and hugging the leg of the giant. TK acted as if he had always known whom this digimon was. The digimon gracefully nodded and looked directly at Matt who was running towards them. TK ran at Matt and basically strangled him in an embrace, but Matt was still confused about the identity of the digimon to care. His question was soon answered.

Matt looked up to find a girl about his age standing in front of him. He had never seen her before and could not take his eyes off her image. She ran towards the digimon who bent down to pick her up. They embraced in a way that could only prove they were just as close as any of the digi destined were with their digimon. _Like Gabumon and me. . . _

Once the girl was set back down, the digimon flew off to join the fight with the others. No one seemed to notice that this pair was out of place. The girl now raced towards TK who had jumped down to greet her. TK didn't just say hello, he nearly tackled her with just as much enthusiasm as he did with Matt. . .possible more. Matt had to know the truth. 

The girl looked at Matt with admiration while holding TK in her arms. TK noticed her gaze towards Matt and smiled broadly. He once again jumped down and this time grabbed Matt's gloved hand and pulled him towards the girl. 

"Um . . . thanks", Matt mumbled and looked down blushing in his normal nature of being embarrassed about the help of strangers. She smiled. 

"Don't worry Matt, I would never let anything happen to TK and neither would Lunar Tigramon." Her voice rippled through the air with a warmth and kindness Matt swore he had heard before. _But I don't know who she is . . ._

He looked up to notice that her appearance had changed. She was now in a long royal blue dress with a hooded cape tied about her shoulders. Her auburn hair was now down and falling over her shoulders delicately. And about her forehead was a golden tiara with a blue opal set in the middle. But resting around her neck was something that could be none other than . . .

__

A tag and crest. Is she one of us?

There was no time to answer because at that exact moment, evil approached.

Piedmon. 

The digimon walked in calm steady manner putting one foot exactly in front of the other. This movement not only showed the clown's power and command, but ego too. By looking at his face, no happy thought could come to mind. 

Piedmon spotted them up ahead, and began to move in towards the kill. Matt's mind began to race. He looked towards the sky and hoped some digimon would spot the scene below, but unfortunately they were all struggling with their own battles. _TK . . .I have to get TK out of here._

Suddenly a force of pure electricity shot at Piedmon. Matt quickly scanned to find the digimon, only to see the unfamiliar girl having the power surging in her hand. It was unbelievable. No human could do that and certainly no digi destined. 

Piedmon grinned sadistically and shot energy towards her. The girl barely managed to block the shot. Soon, a duel began between them. Fire, water, electricity, force . . . all the elements seemed to be aiding this mystery maiden. But whatever power she had, it wouldn't help her for long. 

Matt couldn't take his eyes off the battle; it was incredible! TK seemed to feel the same way, not so much confused as Matt, but more concerned for the safety of the girl. Piedmon seemed really frustrated about how the fight wasn't as easy as he thought. The girl seemed tense and had a spirit of determination about her. _Determination? Why does that word seem right?_

Suddenly, she fell to the ground by a harsh blow. Matt felt his stomach jump and the color beginning to drain out of his face. What were these feelings? He couldn't put his finger on it. TK started to shake and struggled to break away from Matt's grip. Matt attempted to restrain him, but his lost his hold on TK at the last second. As TK ran towards the girl, Piedmon made his move.

****

"Trunk Sword!" he cried and fired his most lethal weapon. 

TK stopped running and fixed his gaze on the swords drawing near, and shut his eyes. Matt began to run towards him, only, there wasn't enough time for him to reach TK. Suddenly there was a shout of pain and dust everywhere. Matt couldn't see what had happened, but he feared the worst. 

When the dust settled, Matt could see a figure bent over something . . .it was the mystery girl protecting TK! She got up slowly; it was obvious she was weak. TK was wrapped around her waist crying. By this time, the other digi destined heard the noise and came to help. But they arrived too late. The girl had obviously been hurt badly and could not support herself. She collapsed to the ground. Piedmon smiled viciously as he watched TK sobbing over his crippled friend. Tai and Sora attempted to run over, but Piedmon used his incredible power to keep them back. He wanted to savior his victory.

Matt didn't know what to do. His hands began to shake and he felt his eyes water. He ran towards the fallen girl and TK. Matt felt as if his legs were full of lead. Running towards her was the hardest thing he had ever done. As he approached the girl, Matt couldn't resist cradling her weak body. She seemed so indifferent to him, and yet, here he was letting his emotions take control. The girl tried to speak.

"Matt . . ." she stammered, "Matt . . . I'm so sorry . . ." She raised her hand to his cheek. He grasped it gently in his hand. He didn't know what to say and sadly, it was too late. Matt felt her body becoming limp, and then she was gone. 

Matt was shocked. What had just happened? He was confused and in great pain at the same time. He cried and rocked her body back and forth in his arms like a doll. She was really gone.

Piedmon crept slowly behind Matt. His eyes flared and his grin twisted. Now was his chance.

****

"Trunk Sword"

And then Matt felt no more. 

Matt gasped for air as he violently woke up in a cold sweat. He put his hand to his forehead and wiped the sweat away. He felt his chest heave and he tried to collect himself. The feelings, the thoughts, it was all too real. 

He laid his head back down on the ground and took several deep breaths. The dream had certainly gotten to him and that's what scared him the most. Matt looked over the campsite. Yes, there they were in the digital world. The digi destined battling the forces of evil once again. They seemed so peaceful in their slumber. Letting their dreams take them away from the nightmares they had to fight. 

Matt looked down next to his sleeping brother. TK had his head propped on Matt's chest and had a light snore. His digimon, Patamon, was curled under TK's arm murmuring quietly. Matt chuckled and slowly got up to get some fresh air. _That's what I need. A dose of reality. _As he walked around, he saw his fellow companions in their typical positions. Joe up against a tree with his glasses off and Gommamon sleeping on his back. Mimi and Palamon were right next to them curled up in little balls. Matt swore he could see Joe's hand close to Mimi's. Izzy, of course, had fallen asleep on his laptop, always spending the day typing furiously away on that keyboard of his. Tentomon had placed himself on Izzy's back as his resting-place. Izzy would have one sore back tomorrow. Next came Sora with Biomon in her lap. They really did love each other in a way only few could understand. Matt grumbled when he saw Tai and Agumon, asleep once again at guard duty. He could remember the argument they had the night before:

"Tai are you sure you want the last watch of the night," commented Matt, "it will be pretty late and you'll probably fall asleep."

"Stop fussing," retorted Tai, "Its not like you could do any better." They were just about to get into another fight when thankfully Joe stepped in.

"Knock it off you two. It's late, and the others wouldn't want to be kept up after all this hiking."

"Yeah," said Mimi, "and my feet are killing me! If you two start an argument, it will totally ruin my beauty sleep."

"And Princess Mimi needs it badly!" scoffed Gomammon. He barely avoided Mimi's foot. 

"Ok, ok", stated Sora, "Lets have Matt and Gabumon take the first watch, Joe and Gommamon take the second, and Tah –ai and Agumon, can finish up." 

"Just you wait Matt," said Tai, "I'll be so awake in the morning, you would swear I had caffeine running through my veins."

However, Matt was right, again. Tai was snoring loudly on his back and Agumon wrapped in his feet. As he walked by the sleeping couple, he kicked Tai's shoes for good measure. The boy said something in his sleep, but didn't wake up. Even though they were friends, Matt couldn't resist pestering Tai for fun. 

Matt made his way towards a small stream trickling through the woods. The babble calmed his nerves. He splashed some water in his face to snap him out of his dreamy phase. Matt found a soft, grassy patch and promptly sat down. He leaned his back into the wind feeling it brush his hair. Matt reached into his pocket and pulled out his harmonica, the only thing that could consolidate him at times. The music of the blues swept through the air and the hum of the night joined in. Not only the night, but a digimon too. Gabumon was used to Matt's midnight music melodies and walked over to his friend. Matt always felt his digimon's presence and put a bit more emphasis into his instrument. The stars shown brightly and their light bounced off the water. As he played, Matt relaxed about his dream. 

__

That's what it was, he thought_, a dream and nothing more. _

Author's Note: Ok, stay tuned for Part 2 which will be coming up real soon since I have already started it, but I wanted to make sure Part 1 was up and running. I don't mind reviews so feel free to email them to me, but nothing too harsh and sending questions is ok too. Thanks! 

__


	2. Part 2 - Through the Mist

Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon or any of the other characters except the ones I have created. If I did then . . . well, that would be cool or prodigious!

Author's Note: Ok, this one is longer than my first, but I explain the whole Kari/Gatomon thing. A lot more comedy, or well in my opinion, and some Taiora as well as Mijou hints. I intend to make this series of fics the start off for my own personal digimon, saying 02 never happened . . .well not yet anyway. Hope everyone is satisfied. Thanks!

Summary: Last time Matt had a dream about a mysterous digi destined along with a battle with Piedmon. There seemed to be some romantic tension, but who knows. This begins the morning after. (If you want to understand the saga better, read **A Forgotten Past: Part 1 – Dreams and Reality**)

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The morning sun could be seen rising above the forest. Its warm rays began to stir the digi destined awake. Izzy was the first to exit dreamland. 

As Izzy woke up he felt his back was really sore. He realized he had fallen asleep on his laptop and shook his head in self-disgust for not properly shutting down his equipment correctly. When Izzy began to stand up he heard Tentomon shout out. _Apparently he thought my back would make an excellent pillow, but I assume he has learned a lesson now._ Tentomon stood up and glared at Izzy for a moment, and then went back to being his good-natured self. 

"Good morning Izzy!" cried Tentomon. 

"Shhhhh!" whispered Izzy, "The others are still asleep!" 

"Oh!" he said more quietly, "I suggest we vacate the campsite to find nourishment for our breakfast."

"I couldn't have put it better myself." The two began to head towards the stream they had fished at for dinner the night before. Tentomon said he had smelt fruit, so they headed in that direction. As they were walking, the came upon Matt and Gabumon asleep by the stream. _Matt has obviously gone on one of his midnight music walks. _Izzy crept quietly over them and moved on.

Back at the campsite, Joe and Mimi had begun to stir. Joe stretched and groped for his glasses. But to his dismay, he couldn't find them! 

"Where are they?! Where are they?!", he shrieked in his normal panicky way. He began to rummage through all his stuff not to mention everyone else's. As Joe began to throw everything around, he unfortunately dared to touch Mimi's precious pink hat. 

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!" 

"What is it Mimi?", said Palmon. The digimon was always very supportive of Mimi at anytime during a crisis, and now was one of those times.

"My . . . sob . . . . hat . . . gasp . . ." she barely managed to get the words out. 

"Don't worry Mimi, I'll find it." As Palmon left, another digimon was soon up to no good. Gommamon had woken up to find that he had slept on top of Joe's glasses. They weren't broken, but rather bent out of shape. Gommamon laughed at the thought of how Joe would look with crooked glasses. He saw Mimi up ahead and snickered as he crept up on her to perform the perfect practical joke. 

Gomammon cautiously crept up behind the distressed girl and slyly slipped Joe's crooked glasses on Mimi and then scampered away. In seconds, his prank went into effect.

"My eyes! My eyes!," Mimi cried, "Everything is so fuzzy, I can't see!" In her distressed state, Mimi began to run around and bumped into things sending her world into a deeper spiral. As she was scrambling, Mimi tripped over a rather odd shaped log and grabbed the first thing she could find, which turned out to be the massive piece called Tai's hair. 

"Gaahhhh!", cried Tai as he was suddenly wrenched from his sleep by a surging pain in his scalp. He was yanked upwards from the ground he was sleeping on and found himself suddenly tangled with Mimi. The two began to struggle and kick creating a lot of noise in the process, which woke up the rest of the digi-destined. 

"Mimi! Mimi!," cried Tai, "Get off me! Ahhh, let go of my hair!" 

"Tai! I hear you, but I can't see you! Somebody help me!", cried Mimi. Palmon quickly picked up her yells.

"Oh no, Mimi is being attacked!" said the plant digimon.

****

"Poison Ivy!" Palmon's vines grew and wrapped themselves around Tai lifting him up into the air. 

"Put me down!", yelled Tai, but nobody had realized what had happened yet. 

"Hey, keep it down," said Sora, who had been wakened by the loud noise. "What's going on?" She walked over and noticed poor Mimi sobbing hysterically. 

"Oh Mimi, you poor thing, tell me what's wrong?", the motherly girl put a sympathetic arm around Mimi.

"I can't see . . .", Mimi whimpered and she held up her face to reveal Joe's glasses. 

"Look, you are wearing Joe's glasses", Sora took them off Mimi's face, "and a strong prescription I might add" Mimi got up, rubbed her eyes, and laughed like her normal self.

"I guess it was pretty silly of me to get upset then."

"Yup, no damage done here. But if that's what you were screaming about – what is Palmon doing?" The girls slowly turned their heads . . .

"Tai!!!"

"Tai?" said Palmon and she looked up towards her captive, "Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry!" She quickly released Tai, who wound up falling on his face. He struggled to get up. Sora and Mimi ran over and helped the boy.

"Are you ok?," asked Sora.

"Yeah. Sure. I get yanked by my hair, attacked by a digimon, and then plummeted into the ground. Nothing I can't shake off." He gave a smile. 

"Well then, what were you doing trying to scare me?", questioned Mimi.

"Scare you! I was peacefully sleeping when all of a sudden I am woken up by you!"

"Sleeping? Tai – you were supposed to be on guard duty!", exclaimed Sora. Tai gave a sheepish grin.

"Oh yeah . . . well you see . . . it was really . . . uh," fortunately Agumon and Byomon came running in.

"Sora! Sora! What happened? I woke up and you were gone!" cried the frantic pink digimon. 

"Its ok now, don't worry," soothed Sora. 

"Tai, was that you I heard screaming?" asked Agumon.

"Uh, no Agumon. I don't scream." 

"Well, if you say so." Now it was Tai's turn to do some questioning.

"Mimi, what on earth were you screaming about?" 

"The first time or second time?", said Mimi.

"Just tell us what happened.", muttered Tai. He rubbed his temple in frustration.

"Well, I woke up startled by the noise of someone rummaging. I think it was Joe, but I'm not sure. Anyway, I suddenly found that my beautiful, one-of-a-kind, designer brand, gorgeous, pink, hat was missing!!!", Mimi broke down remembering her accessory. Tai stared dumbfounded.

"Uh, Mimi – can you get back to your story." She suddenly stopped bawling. 

"Ok! Now where was I . . . well, I lost my beautiful, one-of-a-kind, designer brand . . ."

"Mimi," said Sora, "can you just tell us what happened after you realized you lost it?"

"Sheesh, you guys, will you make up your minds!", Mimi huffed, "Well when I realized my hat was gone I did the most logical thing, I cried! Then I heard another noise behind me, but I was too upset to care, but it did seem louder, but when I looked up once again – my eyes were all fuzzy. And that's when I fell over you, Tai. Right?"

"I guess so, but what remains is how did Joe's glasses get on you in the first place?," asked Tai. The three, along with their digimon pondered in thought or at least tried. Suddenly, a smothered giggle was heard. It grew to a chuckle, and finally a full-hearted laugh. 

"That sounds like Gomammon. ", said Palmon. They turned their heads towards the direction of the noise. 

"Gomammon!", screamed Mimi, "You come out right now!" She marched right towards his hiding place and began to beat it with her purse. Unfortunately, the digimon wasn't going to comply with her wishes.

"I'll come out when you promise not to chase me," said Gomammon.

"I'll do no such promise!", yelled Mimi.

"Allow me Mimi," said Agumon. 

****

"Pepper breath!" His fireball shot at the bush forcing Gomammon to run out shouting in pain.

"Hot! Hot! Hot!", the seal digimon came towards them and collapsed on the ground out of breath. The shadow of impending doom, otherwise known as Mimi, came over the pesky digimon.

"Was that your idea of a prank Mr.!!!", shrieked Mimi, "I could have gotten hurt or broken a nail or worse!!!" She leered in on him narrowing her eyes. "I just need to know one thing . . . where's breath my breath hat?!" 

"Mimi! Hey Mimi!", said a voice that sounded a lot like Joe's. "Mimi! Give me my glasses!" Joe scrambled over, the best he could with out being able to see, and questioned Mimi.

"Mimi, what were you doing with my glasses? You know I can't see with out them.", he looked up, well squinted, and noticed that Tai and Sora were there as well, "Oh, hi guys. Good morning I guess."

"Morning Joe," said Tai, "You look weird with out your glasses."

"Thanks", grumbled Joe.

"Hey Joe," asked Sora. "What's in your hand?" The older boy lifted what was none other than Mimi's pink hat.

"My hat!", cried an ecstatic Mimi. She grabbed it and put it back on her head. 

"Perfect Mimi!," said Palmon. 

"Well, I guess when I was searching for my glasses, I picked up your hat by mistake. Sorry Mimi."

"It's ok Joe. Besides, you would have looked terrible in it."

"What?"

"Nothing," said Mimi while she and the others suppressed a laugh. 

"Now then that's settled," said Sora and she handed Joe his glasses back, "Much better Joe." He put his glasses on and found they were crooked. 

"Why are they crooked? Gomammon! Did you fall asleep on them again?", questioned Joe and he looked down at his digimon.

"Whatever do you mean Joe," said the digimon innocently, and this time they all laughed. 

"You guys were being noisy again. Can't you be noisy quieter?" yawned a sleepy TK. His hat was off and under his arm, and his hair was very fluffed up and ruffled. Patamon was flying over his head, also looking somewhat disheveled.

"Sorry TK," said Sora, "But some of us were experiencing some difficulties." She threw a glance at Tai, Mimi, and Joe who either looked down, twiddled their thumbs, or whistled. 

"That's ok!" smiled TK, "They're always doing something crazy, so I've gotten used to it!" The little boy giggled while the others remained silent with a puzzled look on their faces.

"Hey . . .where's my brother?"

"Good question," said Sora

"And Izzy," said Tai.

"Don't forget about Gabumon and Tentomon," said Byomon. As if on cue, Matt and Gabumon returned to the campsite. TK ran over to greet his brother and hugged him around his waist. 

"Morning Matt!" chirped TK. _The little guy always has so much energy in him, especially in the morning,_ thought Matt.

"Hey . . . yawn squirt . . ." greeted Matt who was obviously still tired. TK looked at the dark circles under his brother's eyes with deep concern. 

"Matt, you've been having those bad dreams again, huh?" inquired TK. Matt brushed his bangs in front of his face self-consciously. 

"TK . . ." mumbled Matt. He looked down hoping no one heard. 

"Matt," said Sora, "If you are having problems sleeping, why don't you tell us?" She put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. 

"Yeah man," said Tai, "even the coolest guys could use some decent shut eye!" Tai laughed at his own humor. 

"Knock it off Tai!" growled Matt and he took a menacing step towards Tai with his fists balled. 

"Whoa dude, chill out!" replied Tai. 

"Guys, come on. We all need to keep our strength up when in these parts," Joe insisted, "and besides," he gave a look towards Matt, "its not healthy to keep things bottled up inside."

"Whatever," said Matt. He began to walk away wanting the discussion to end, but Tai was sick of the shut out.

"Matt! We are a team! We need to be able to tell each other stuff and rely on one another or have you forgotten what your crest is?!" demanded Tai. That hit a pressure point for Matt. 

"You have no idea what you are talking about, do you Tai?!," yelled Matt ,"You don't have the dreams, the feelings, you don't see her die!" Matt suddenly blushed realizing he released too much information than he intended. He turned his back to the group again.

"Matt," whispered Gabumon, "maybe it is time you tell them. After all, they are your friends." The digimon peered up at the boy giving him a reassuring look. Matt sighed. _Might as well tell someone._ He took a breath. 

"For the past few days now . . . I've been having this dream about a battle. . ." he stopped not sure if he should continue.

"What sort of battle?" asked Tai. They all leaned in closer. 

"A battle with Piedmon." Mimi gasped and everyone gave her a weird look, it wasn't exactly a choice place to react. Matt shrugged and continued. 

"There we are battling Piedmon in this barren area, when suddenly I see TK falling out of the sky. I then find that I can't move my body, and when I think it's to late, I see this strange digimon fly up into the sky and who saves TK. When I get to them, there is this strange girl . . ."

"Was she pretty?", asked Tai.

"Tai!", snapped Sora and Mimi. They crossed their arms in annoyance. _Typical guys._ Tai didn't care and looked at Joe, who also seemed interested. 

"I guess," mumbled Matt. Actually, he was too embarrassed to say. "Well, this digimon appeared to be hers, like how we connect with our digimon. TK greets her like he has always known her, but I have no idea who she is. The next thing I know is, Piedmon appears, and when I look up, the girl is different."

"Different?" said Tai, "I thought she was already different because we didn't know her."

"No," said a slightly annoyed Matt, "I mean her appearance suddenly changed and, get this, she had powers."

"That's impossible," said Joe. 

"Yeah," said Mimi, "I mean if her appearance had changed I would think you would remember if her outfit had gone from good to bad or bad to good or good to great." 

"Oh, Mimi," said Sora.

"Well, finally Piedmon makes his move by aiming his attack at TK, and then with out hesitation, the girl throws herself in front of TK!" Matt's voice began to waver, he had come to the difficult part, "When I get to her, she is very weak . . . and then as I try to . . . as I try to . . talk to her, she . . . dies." His eyes began to brim with tears. "And that's when I wake up." 

They all looked at Matt with a silent gaze, some pity, some understanding. No one said anything for a while. The boy was grieving quietly. 

"Matt," said TK softly, "I'm sure its just a bad dream." TK had slid his hand into his brother's. "Remember how you always tell me not to let bad dreams bother me? Cause they're a dream, right?" Matt nodded and wiped his tears with his glove. Fortunately, Izzy walked in with Tentomon carrying a large amount of fruit as well as fish.

"Hey guys! I believe I have collected a sufficient amount of nourishment to revitalize our energy levels. So its quite possible for us to commence re-energizing." 

"In other words, dig in!" exclaimed Tentomon. 

The group happily jumped to the occasion of food and at once passed out servings. They formed a ring and placed the extras in the center for anyone who wanted another helping. Soon, they began to talk amongst themselves. Mimi and Joe started talking about ways to make sure Joe's glasses wouldn't get smashed along with plans to get revenge on Gommamon, who became oblivious to the conversation. Izzy, Tentomon, TK, and Patamon conversed about computers . . . well mostly Izzy and Tentomon, but TK joined in about the best computer games he had played, which actually Izzy had played too (not to mention hacked into). Matt was quietly sitting by Gabumon saying things in a very inaudible tone. That left Sora and Tai, who were both still very concerned about Matt's condition. 

"Sora?"

"Yeah Tai." 

"I've been thinking about those dreams Matt has been having."

"Weird isn't it. A stranger and a battle with a Dark Master."

"That's what bothers me. Who is that girl? Why did she sacrifice herself for TK?"

"And most importantly, what does it mean?" They sat there pondering about the situation.

"I don't think Matt is giving us all the information."

"What do you mean Tai? I think it's pretty clear that Matt was telling us everything. I mean, he was welling up just thinking about the dream. It must mean a lot to him."

"Well, it's not that. I think he didn't want to tell us what the girl looked like."

"Oh Tai! Does appearance mean that much to you? Are you that shallow?" Sora gave Tai a long, cold hard stare. 

"No, no . . . not like that. Uh, more like he . . . um . . . I can't explain it exactly . . ."

"Try me." 

"Well, what if one of us, say know this girl? Like, she could be someone's sister or cousin that could be waiting for us."

"So this girl could be the actual 8th child?" They sat and remembered their battle with Myotismon that occurred not too long ago. 

It appeared for a long time that Kari, Tai's younger sister, was indeed the 8th child that Gennai had told them about previously before returning to the real world. She had a tag and crest, but the digivice that seemed to be hers was in fact not. The digimon known as Gatomon did digivolve when Kari was in danger, but later Izzy reported that there was no visible activity between both the digimon and the child. It seemed very strange, but Kari said politely that she didn't feel connected to the group and decided that the prophecy was only inferring that they had to find a child to help them defeat Myotismon; the child didn't have to be a digi-destined. Gatomon on the other hand seemed somewhat depressed and reserved as the others returned to the digi world with out her. The digimon showed feelings of abandonment, but quietly accepted her place and stayed behind with Kari. 

"Well Tai," said Sora, "if we were supposed to have an 8th child with us, there is no way we can defeat the dark masters with out him or her." Tai nodded.

"I've been thinking about that for a while. We've been in the digi world for about a week now and have shown no signs of progress. We've encountered all the dark masters and they still overpower us, even with two megas. The problem is, I still don't understand what Piximon said and my theory about the digimon being stronger just doesn't seem to be possible." He looked down and sighed. _It's so hard being the leader sometimes . . .no one understands the pressure. _

Sora noticed Tai's sudden withdrawal and felt compelled to say something. She reached out her hand gingerly and rested it softly on Tai's hand. He looked up at her with heavy-set eyes. They stared at each other for a few moments relying on the trust they had in one another and perhaps something more. 

"Tai, remember I will always believe in you." Tai gave a weak smile. 

"Sora . . . ", but before he could finish, another argument began. This time it was between Mimi and Joe. They were arguing once again about Gommamon, who had gotten used to it by now, and presently referred to these quarrels as "lovers spats", which did not help his popularity. 

"Joe! Do something about Gommanon! He's your digimon!" cried Mimi. She pointed an accusing finger at Joe. 

"Me?" questioned Joe, "He has his own personality and besides, you could try not to provoke him with your complaining!"

"I do not complain!" whined Mimi at a frequency only howler monkeys could understand. They continued to bicker until Mimi reached her peak of tolerating the insults.

"That's it!" she yelled and picked up a fruit that Palmon was just about to eat and promptly shoved it into Joe's face. The paste was smeared all over Joe's glasses as well as hair. The older boy flared.

"Fine, if that's the way you want to play it." He threw one at Mimi, who ducked, allowing the fruit to collide into Izzy. 

"Oopse, sorry Izzy." Joe put up a defensive hand.

"Sorry nothing," said Tentomon, "This is for Izzy!" The bug digimon threw a fruit at Joe, but since no one has good aim, this time the fruit hit Matt in his most vulnerable spot . . .

__

His hair. 

The precious piece of gelled art work. Matt's hair. 

"Oh my . . . Tentomon you really did it now, " whispered Gabumon. He quickly scampered out of the way as the boy stood up with his back turned to the group. 

"So . . . is that the way you want it," said Matt in a very icy tone. Tentomon was beginning to get scared. 

"Matt, hey he didn't mean it," said Sora. She looked at Tai for support, but this time he was on Matt's side.

"No way, a man's hair is his pride." Tai stood up and brushed his hair with his hand. He walked over to Matt bearing fruit in hand. They others were panicking, Izzy and Tentomon especially. Matt and Tai hardly ever agreed, but it made sense that they put aside differences when it came down to hair care. 

"Should we run?" asked Tentomon to Izzy. Izzy shook his head.

"No, they like it when you show fear." Matt was still unmoving along with Tai. It was down right freaky. Even Agumon and Gabumon were perplexed. 

"So tell me something," said Matt," . . . are you feeling lucky?" He turned around violently allowing the huge melon in his hand to be seen. Everyone gasped and began to seek cover when suddenly Matt changed his firing direction from Izzy to Tai!

"What the?!" But it was too late. Matt impaled the fruit all over Tai laughing triumphantly.

"Gotcha!" Everyone began to laugh and Tai desperately tried to remove the melon chunks out of his hair. Tai then gave a twisted smile.

"Let the battle begin." And with those words the largest food fight the digiworld had ever seen, began! 

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Except for one. 

TK became distracted long before the start of the food fight by a voice he heard . . . or thought he heard. He left directly with out telling anyone, not Patamon, and not Matt. _I hope he doesn't get mad at me._

The little boy quietly tread through the forest, not quite sure where he was going, but his feet seemed to know the direction. It was funny, TK wasn't scared about being in the forest alone with out anyone watching over him. He felt as if the digiworld had always been his home and his friends has become his family; especially because of the divorce, a subject that always frazzled poor little TK. 

It was hard having a brother that he could only see part time and they always tried so hard to stay together. For as long as TK could remember, Matt was always there for him – overbearing, but protective. TK knew how his brother tried to hide his feelings from the others and the boys would talk to each other at night while no one was awake. It was a bond that was virtually unbreakable. But lately TK felt that bond was wavering, and it started around the same time as Matt began to have those dreams . . . 

Just then, TK heard the voice again, calling him towards the fog he could see forming up ahead.

__

"TTTTT KKKKKK . . . . . come play with meeeee . . . . . oh TTTTT KKKK" it was like a haunting melody rippling through the wind. TK could not help being beckoned towards it.

__

"TK, TK, TK . . . . remember when we used to play together? Shine your hope for me . ." The voice was becoming stronger and more passionate. The little boy began to become afraid, and yet, something told him not to. His pace quickened and the fog grew dense and took a shape. A lightly shaded image of girl formed. TK couldn't make out too much physical appearance except for her hair, which was in a long, thick pony tail as well as her eyes that seemed to once have a sparkle that was now lost. She did seem around the age as the others, but he never seen her before. The figure floated towards the little boy reaching out with its gassy hand. TK froze in his tracks, not quite sure what to make out of this. The girl's face was sullen and her eyes streamed with tears. 

"Can't you remember the one who protected you?" When the girl's hand touched TK's forehead, his senses became very sharp and his mind raced towards an incident that was supposedly erased. He remembered cold water all around him, struggling against the current. He gasped for breath and was about to loose conciseness when someone pulled him out of the water . . .the girl!

"Who . . .who . . .who are you?", stammered TK. She chuckled lightheartedly.

__

"Of course you wouldn't remember me sweet little Takaru. You're not supposed to anyway."

"Then why'd ya ask?" The little boy was perplexed.

__

"I needed to test the power of your crest . . . your hope is strong and it is the light the digiworld needs to be saved." She sighed and the melody of her voice tingled TK's ears.

"What do you want?"

__

"Always the hundred questions, you haven't changed – even in this alternative world. I've come to ask for your help little TK. I know you can do it, I've always believed in you and the others. They've never let me down before and I know they never will."

"Help?," said TK, "But how? I don't even know who you are, and Mommy always said never talk to strangers or strange fog . . ." She laughed again.

__

"Very true. But I'm no stranger TK . . .and I hope you believe me. For all will be lost if we are not all together. Its been too long and we've tried so hard to save the digital world." The girl raised her hands in the air and a hazy light appeared. She lowered the beam to show to TK, which turned out to be a tag and crest.

"You're a digi-destined!", exclaimed TK. He too knew about the 8th child legend.

__

"Yes, but there's more to it. TK, in order to beat the dark masters we all need to be together."

"But how? I don't even know who you are? And my head . . .it hurts. Stop the pain!" TK began to wobbled while the mist swirled around the figure and gently lifted him into the air.

__

"Your head hurts from the memories you are trying to remember, but have been erased due to the dark powers at hand . . . go to the others, find help – for the sake of our lives and of the digiworld. I will always protect you, remember that."

And then the little boy blacked out. 

"TK! TK!" cried Matt, "Where are you?" The other kids had spread out all over the forest and began to conduct a search party for the missing child. They became very worried after they realized they had even teams for the food fight, a problem when there should be seven of them.

"TK, please be ok . . ." The boy was getting scared and terrified of what may have happened to his little brother. It wasn't like TK to wander off with out a reason. Matt jogged up ahead to cover more ground and bumped into Sora.

"Sora, any word yet from Byomon or the others?" They girl sadly shook her head. Byomon, Tentomon, and Patamon had been watching over the tree-tops. 

"No Matt," replied Sora, "but don't give up hope." _Hope. That's TK's crest_. Then they heard Tai shouting.

"Matt! Matt! Quickly, we found him!" Matt and Sora sprinted towards the direction of Tai's voice. When they got there, they saw Tai holding an unconscious TK in his lap with Joe rummaging through his medical supplies. Mimi, Palmon, and Izzy immediately came out of the shrubs after them. 

"Oh my god, what happened?" cried Matt. He rushed to his brother's side and out his hand on TK's forehead.

"It appears to be just a bump on the noggin'," said Joe "I'm sure he will be fine after some rest as well as aspirin. But I'm not positive on what happened. We came across him like this, except there was some fog, although it vanished right away when we arrived." Mimi came foreword, moved by the scene in front of her.

"Palmon and I can go look for some healing herbs. It's the least we could do . . ." she trailed off, obvious upset about the little boy's condition.

"Yeah, thanks." Matt was barely able to choke out the words. Sora mumbled something about going off with them and left with Byomon. Patamon fluttered down and was crying softly. A tear splashed on to TK and he magically began to stir.

"Matt, Matt . . . brother?" said a very weak TK.

"I'm hear squirt." He took his younger brother's hand.

"I hate it when you call me that." The older boy chuckled.

"What happened then?" TK struggled to sit upright.

"We need to help her." Tai, Izzy, Joe, and Matt looked at TK oddly.

"Help who?" he asked.

"The 8th child." 

And he opened his hand to reveal a tag and crest. 

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Author's Notes: Well that's Part 2 and I will start 3 soon – I already have an outline. Sorry this somewhat stretched out, but it has to be or it wouldn't work out the way I would want it to. Please R&R!


	3. Past 3 - A Piece to the Puzzle

Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon or any of the other characters except the ones I have created. If I did then . . . well, that would be cool or prodigious!

Author's Note: Sorry for the delay, but I had a lot to get in this chapter. Stuff is explained and I hope it doesn't go over too many heads! Ok, for all Kari fans. I finally added her in for a short scene with Gatomon (Gatomon is a permanent character because she is my favorite digimon). Don't get mad, but Kari just didn't work in the plot I had all set up in my mind for this series. I will eventually figure something out or write an 02 fic. I hate to say it, but I'm not much of an 02 fan. Sure, the gang is nice and all (June leave Matt alone!), only – it's not the same! I miss the old guys. Although Ken is an interesting perk (and so sad sniff I watched "Genesis of Evil" last weekend). So, I am doing more 01 for a while until I get bored or out of ideas (which ever). If you noticed, I try writing the characters as how, in my opinion, they are portrayed on the show. I don't mean to bash anyone (it's all accidental!), but it's just what I think they would say. And for the record, I will always put Mimoe and Taiora hints in all of my fics because they are my fav couples with proof! (no offense to Mimato – there is just no evidence). For the 02 record: I don't think Davis is that bad, I like Takari (proof once again!) or even Dakari, and I am a June hater (so I guess that makes me a Matt lover) except when she is bashed too often. Thanks for listening to my rambling!

Previously: The others have just found a weak TK with a tag and crest claiming they belong to the 8th child. (If you want to understand the saga better, read **A Forgotten Past: Part 1 – Dreams and Reality and Part 2- Through the Mist**)

There they were, in the depths of the forest, realizing for the first time the truth about what TK had just said.

"The 8th child?" questioned Tai, "Are you sure?" He paced back and forth on the grass not quite sure what to make of TK's discovery. Yes, it was possible that seven kids have been chosen to save a digital world. And granted there can be such things as talking monsters. Along with the possibility of evil creatures sought to take over the real world as well as the digital world, but talking fog? 

Not likely . . .

"But its true Tai," said TK quietly. He looked up with hopeful eyes towards their leader. Tai searched with in them to find an answer. 

"I think what Tai is trying to say," said Joe, "is that there isn't much evidence to support what you are trying to tell us TK." He continued wrapping bandages around the boy's wounded head. From what the boys could put together from TK's story was that the extra tag and crest that TK had found (well "received" in his point of view) belong to the 8th child. She had been separated from them in a spell caused by outside dark forces, but by who was the question as well as why couldn't they remember her?

"Izzy, what do you think?" asked Tai. The younger boy looked up from his computer screen. He had been researching all present knowledge on digimon capabilities.

"Well Tai," he began, "It appears the 8th child is living in some parallel universe or alternative world from ours, if you will." Tai stood perplexed.

"A what?!" Izzy sighed. This wasn't going to be easy to explain, but its not like they had to be anywhere anytime soon. 

"It's called the many worlds theory, which states the idea that every outcome of every quantum choice really does happen. This is pictured as repeating branches of many choices. For example, someone decides whether to drink tea or coffee. In one universe they choose tea, and in another coffee. More choices follow such as cream or sugar. Maybe in tea or maybe in coffee. More doors open, but there is no way to communicate between them." The boys stared at the comrade, dumbfounded by his knowledge once again.

"Uh . . . Layman's terms please?" requested Matt. Izzy sighed once again, he really thought he simplified his theory enough for once.

"Ok, this "branch" is a version of the digital world where there is currently no 8th child. However, there is reason to believe that the 8th child has been somehow erased from existence in this universe, which could create an ultimate effect that has already been foreseen."

"Oh I get it," remarked Joe, "Such as in 'Back to the Future', Marty McFly goes back in time and make changes that altars the future, which was his present." Izzy nodded. "Yes! I got Izzy's theory! I understood it more than you two! Ha ha ha!!" Joe danced a circle of triumph around Tai and Matt. They were not pleased.

"Shut up Joe, we all saw the movie!" snapped Matt. Tai just grumbled unpleasantly, but he still made the connection.

"Alright, let me make sure I got this right. This mysterious fog girl is the 8th child, but she has been erased from existence in our "branch" bunny fingers causing an unknown effect on our future."

"Precisely." 

"Heavy."

"You know, that's a line from the movie", quoted Joe.

"Fine, we'll give you a metal."

"I was just saying." Matt sighed. A present that had been altered . . . why does he feel guilty? That he doesn't remember a friend, someone who should have been with them since the beginning?

"So we don't remember her because . . . . . . . . pause feel free to jump in with the answer Izz," said Matt.

"Sorry Matt," said Izzy semi-embarrassed, "Well if this universe had really been altered, all past knowledge would have technically not existed anymore. Just a reflection really."

"A forgotten past," mumbled Matt. The others turned their heads towards his direction.

"Come again?" asked Tai. 

"A forgotten past," restated Matt, "We did know her . . .once, in the past before all this change." They stared at the ground, not quite sure what to make of all this new information, until TK said the most logical thing.

"How do we get her back?" He attempted to use most of his strength to sit up properly in Matt's lap. 

"How do we get her back?" They still weren't sure what to do and felt very guilty about not knowing how to answer the little boy's pressing question. Izzy, not much of a socialist, turned back to his computer with Tentomon giving random advice. Joe sighed, and continued mending TK's wounds with Gommaomon's help, while Matt, held onto his brother's hand either because of comfort or depression. Gabumon and Patamon just sat by watching them. Tai gave a frustrated gasp, surprising Agumon, and went over to a solitary corner where he leaned up against a tree with his arms crossed. _This is so unfair, why do these things happen to people who are close to us? We can't think of anything to do – she is one of us . . . _He closed his eyes hoping to see a light at the end of this puzzling tunnel. If only there was a given problem, then they could easily solve it. Tai's eyes started watering and he rubbed the tears away angrily. 

"Tai?" asked the perplexed Agumon, "What's the matter? Please tell me." He reached out with a comforting claw.

" Have you ever had a problem that you knew what it was, but you didn't know how to solve it? It's so restraining!" He slumped down and put his head in his hands. Agumon had never seen Tai look so defeated.

"Tai, its not your fault you guys can't remember the 8th child, you are under a spell – besides its almost as if she has always been with you guys through your memories." Tai slowly lifted his head up . . . an idea had struck him. 

"Say that again?"

"Uh . . . through your memories?" Tai jumped up and grabbed Agumon's claws and started cheering excitedly. The others looked up at their friend's sudden display of happiness. 

"Tai, what's gotten into you, man?" questioned Matt as he stood up. He didn't think this was a great time to be dancing like a lunatic. _Then again, its Tai we're talking about._ Tai ran over to Matt and shook him by the shoulders while still bouncing up and down.

"I can't believe I didn't realize this sooner!" cried the ecstatic boy. Matt slowly stepped back fearing his friend finally went off the edge. He mouthed "run" to Joe and Izzy. 

"Well, enlighten us", said Joe. Tai finally stopped hopping around. 

"We can't remember her because our memories with her are erased, right?" They nodded. "Well, if she was really there since the beginning – she would have gone through the same events with us. It's almost as like she has been here the whole time, right? So if we could some how focus on a memory and bring her through it she can come back! And then we will all be together and save the digital world!" He looked at them beaming with his deduction skills, but no reaction.

"Tai, that's great and all, however it still doesn't help us much", commented Matt. Tai stood his ground, his last theory about the digimon being stronger was shot down, but he wasn't going to let that happen to this one too.

"Aw, come on you guys! We have her tag and crest, and she made contact with TK – there has to be away to harness the past out of that. Now are you with me or not?" 

Silence.

"I'm with you Tai," said little TK. He stood up, using his last bit of energy and hobbled over to Tai taking his hand. The older boy looked down and smiled. "We'll remember her together." Just then their crests began to glow.

"What the?" Suddenly, the 8th child's crest glowed as well rising into the air for a flickering second. Everyone stood in awe, unfortunately the miracle didn't last long and the tag quickly fell back to the ground. Tai looked to the others.

"What do you think just happened?" Now it was Izzy's turn to realize the obvious.

"Of course!" cried the younger boy slapping himself in the forehead. "I understand it now. TK, did you have a dream or reflection when you ran into the fog, er . . . 8th child?" TK nodded.

"I also had a headache too." He rubbed his head.

"I think I'm beginning to piece it together. Ok, Tai you are right." Tai was surprised.

"I am?" 

"He is?" said Matt and Joe in unison. 

"Yes. You see Tai has realized that the memories are the key to the 8th child's existence. She appeared to TK as fog – sort of symbolism for something that is drifting away. Anyway, for some reason – TK was able to make contact with an incident long ago and when TK and Tai both focused on her in their minds – her crest began to glow. And that I believe is the key to bringing her back." The boys were speechless; Izzy had solved the puzzle once again.

"Heavy" commented Tai.

"Enough with the stupid movie!" cried Matt. 

"Ow, that was my ear you decided to scream into," replied Joe. 

"So how do we get more memories?" asked Tai. 

"Now that's the task at hand," replied Izzy. He looked at the others and gave an exasperated sigh. "And I believe that is enough work we can do at the moment. I'm going to see if I can tap into a digital hard-drive to retrieve more information. I'll let you guys know if I find anything." Izzy and Tentomon turned to the pineapple laptop and went to work. Joe went back to work on TK, but this time Matt got up to talk to Tai.

"Um . . . Tai" said Matt shyly. "I, er . . . appreciate it that you are help solving this whole mystery 8th child thing. It means a lot to me, I mean her, at least I think it would." He blushed and looked down at the ground. Tai nodded and didn't say anything. They all had been in the digiworld together for a very long time, and even though Matt and Tai knew each other before, they never had a stronger friendship until now. Tai realized how Matt kept a lot of his emotions bottled up, so he decided to accept the compliment with no side remarks. Just then they heard a rustling in the bushed.

"Bet it's the girls!" whispered Tai to Matt. "Watch me wow Sora with my cough intelligence on that whole alternative universe theory." He slyly slicked back his hair and put on a look of superiority. Matt rolled his eyes.

"Whatever." They turned their heads towards the direction of the noise.

Sora and Mimi walked in carrying herbs and an assortment of flowers with Biyomon and Palmon following behind. The two girls were obviously deep in discussion.

"So Sora you really think that's what this whole mess is?" said Mimi. 

"I think so. Mind you I read it in a book – Eyewitness I think. Great series!" 

"Yeah, and cool pictures!" They giggled and suddenly noticed the other's presence. 

"Oh!" said Mimi, "You guys should hear Sora's theory on this whole 8th child thingy!" She beamed at Sora and seemed very proud of her friend's deduction skills.

"Wait till you hear ours," smirked Tai, "its about . . ." but he was cut off by Sora.

"An alternative universe. I think that what this whole mess is – its part of the many worlds theory. I don't think you've heard of it Tai, but . . . uh why are you looking at me like that?" Tai was crushed, beaten yet again.

"Nothing. sigh nothing." Sora glanced at Matt, but he just shook his head, he would fill them in later. Just then his stomach rumbled.

"Oy, it's getting close to lunch time. We've spent most of the day goofing around. Shouldn't we be walking aimlessly through the forest soon? At least until we're attacked by an evil digimon or something." Joe glared at him.

"Excuse me, I believe being cynical is my job thank you very much!" He pushed his glasses back onto the bridge of his noes before giving a "hurumph!" and turning around to get the herbs from Mimi as well as start up a friendly chat. 

"Ok . . . well?" 

"Yup, I think its time to get a move on. We need to cover more ground anyway, and I don't think it's a great idea to stay in one spot more than one night. The Dark Masters might track us down" confirmed Tai. Sora bent down to TK. 

"Do you think you're up to a walk TK?" she asked putting a motherly hand on TK's forehead. TK gave a small smile and nodded. 

"Well it's settled! Lets get a move on guys" cried Tai enthusiastically. He began to lead with Agumon following closely at his heel. Izzy stood up after shutting down his laptop and ran a bit to catch up and Tentomon flying overhead. Sora and Matt helped TK get to his feet. Joe and Mimi were once again behind the group, but they didn't seem to mind walking next to each other while blushing, of course. The digi destined were in good spirits, but they would have to be in order to achieve their goal. 

Back in the real world, the mood wasn't quite as cheery. An unpleasant dusk had settled around the city of Odiba as the parents of the digi destined reluctantly went home praying for the safety of their children. How is it like for a parent to watch their children go off to fight and not know whether they might make it back . . . alive?  
At the Kamiya residence, Kari, Tai's little sister, reclined on the sofa with Gatomon asleep next to her while watching the news. The headline story was grim telling about seven children being the world's only hope. Kari sighed remembering Tai's departing words to her:

"Don't fret Kari. It will just be the longest five minutes of your life." 

Typical of Tai to make her feel less worried and more proud to be his sibling. But then she was the child of Light, wasn't she. Kari looked over to her sleeping friend. Gatomon was curled up like an actual cat making her seem so peaceful and content. But in reality, the digimon had been plagued by terrible dreams calling out a name of a girl Kari didn't know. It always made her sad to see others suffer. 

"No!" cried out Gatomon suddenly. The little digimon bolted upright with tears beginning to form in her eyes. Kari lifter her hand and wiped them away.

"You were having that dream again, weren't you Gatomon?" The digimon nodded.

"Yes, but it's getting more real every time. And this time . . ." She stopped. _I can't tell Kari, she might be heart broken._

"Tell me, please?" The little girl had a sweetness to her that could not be resisted. Gatomon sighed.

"Kari – I have to go back."

"Back to the digital world?" Kari asked. 

"Yes. I'm needed. She needs me."

"Who?"

"The 8th child. I know where she is now. She is my purpose." Kari looked down, not quite knowing what to say. Gatomon jumped into her arms and gave her a strong embrace. No words were needed.

"Ok, how can I help?" questioned Kari.

"I need that digivice that we thought was yours." Kari stood up and went over to a drawer and pulled out the digivice. She kept it close to her heart.

"Gatomon, look out for yourself – ok?" Gatomon smiled. 

"I will." The little digimon took the digivice and scampered towards the door. She put her claw on the doorknob, but Kari stopped her.

"And could you give this to my brother," Kari took off her signature whistle and slipped onto Gatomon's neck. "Tell him 4 minutes would be better." Gatomon nodded, and without a word went out the door. 

Nighttime had begun its descend on the digiworld as the digidestined were beginning to crumble under the spells of sleep. Matt was carrying TK, already weak because of his rendezvous with the 8th child. Tai was being stubborn about not showing any signs of weakness, but it was obvious to Sora that the boy was coming to the end of his limits for that night. Izzy seemed tired too and kept trying to stifle his yawns. At the end of the line was Mimi using all possible strength to just keep her eyes open. Joe took pity and offered to carry her stuff, but Mimi thought he said to carry her, so currently Joe had the girl in his arms. Ironically, it was Palmon carrying Gommamon walking next to them. 

Finally, Tai stopped at the top of the mountain they were climbing at what appeared to be the ruins of and old castle. The mighty stones that once produced a stunning archway were now in shambles. Trees were uprooted, dirt scattered, and an odor of the deceased lingered in front of their noses. It was obviously a dismal place. Izzy scanned through his index of the digital world and gasped at what he saw. This castle once belong to the Lord of the Dark . . . Myotismon. The others shuddered at the mention of his name. He was the definition of evil and caused so much pain. Not just on them, but on their parents too. The clouds began to darken above them and a distant rumble could be heard. 

"Uh, I fear there's going to be some precipitation shortly", said a worried Izzy. He closed his laptop and hurriedly put it away afraid of the deadly combination of water + electricity. 

"Its going to rain!" cried Tentomon. Suddenly, the rain started pouring down on them. The children and their digimon ran in search of cover.

"Tai" yelled Sora, "The castle! It's our only source of shelter!"

"No way!" shrieked Mimi, "That's Myotismon's house and there is no way you're going to get me to go in there!"

"Mimi!" said Joe impatiently, "May I remind you who is carrying you and my feet are geared up in that direction." He began sprinting behind the others as Mimi attempted to figure out what Joe had meant. Tai stopped in front of the door and with help from Matt got it open a crack. 

"Quickly everyone! Inside!" The digi destined wasted no time and closed the door behind them. They turned their heads and viewed their surroundings.

"Whoa, Myotismon had a sweet place" whispered Matt. Indeed the vampire digimon may have had the darkest of hearts, but he certainly had a very elegant flare. Even though the ceiling was caving in and there were several cracks running along the floor, there was still an over all grandness with the furnished tapestries and elaborate décor. They stood in awe for a few lingering moments before Tai started up.

"Ok guys, lets get a fire going. It's going to be a long night." The others nodded in response. 

"Tai," said Agumon; "You and the others are tired. Let us digimon look for wood as well as some food. We won't be long." Tai smiled.

"Thanks buddy."

"You stick together Biyomon," replied Sora.

"And don't wander too far," came Joe.

"And if you find anything pink, think of me," commented Mimi. The digimon nodded and ran off in groups. Soon it was just the children.

"Uh Mimi," asked TK, "Why are you still in Joe's lap?" Mimi and Joe were in each other's arms and they separated while blushing a bright red. The others just shook their heads. 

"Anyways," said Tai taking a seat on some conveniently laid stones. The others were shivering quietly. It was very cold. Matt pulled TK close to him to keep him warm. Izzy was chattering while managing to type at the same time. Mimi and Sora also huddled next to each other.

"Could use Gabumon's fur right about now," said Matt. The others chuckled. Just then, a chill wind ripped through the room. 

"Did you feel that?" whispered Tai. 

"This is so freaky!" whimpered Mimi. 

"I don't like this, its too quiet," said Sora. 

"Matt, I'm scared."

"It's nothing TK," reassured the boy, but he was beginning to think he wasn't too sure. Then the air was consumed by a chorus of voices; chilling the digi destined to the bone.

"Ahhhhhh, no stay a way!" "Please stop!" "Just don't hurt them!" A merciless, cold laughed echoed against the walls. 

"What's going on?" asked Joe. He looked at Izzy.

"How should I know?" This was not going to be a pleasant night. 

"Wait that voice sounds familiar," commented Matt. He stood up sharply. "Its her, its her! The 8th child!" Matt raced down the corridor leaving the rest of the group behind as well as shocked. 

"Matt, wait!" yelled Tai. The others got up and followed in pursuit. 

Matt was running so hard that he could feel his heart beating with in his chest. He had to know – was this the girl from his dreams? His thoughts were confused, but his feelings told him the way to go. Matt had so many things to ask her: the powers, the memories, and the connections. He was hoping she had the answers. Matt heard his friends' echoes behind him, he knew he should stop, but he felt he had the obligation to do as much as he could on his own. An obligation to her. 

Matt turned a sharp corner and tripped on a crack in the floor. He hit the stone floor with a loud thud. It felt like he was doing a belly flop in the pool. Matt cursed at himself for not looking at where he was going. He could lose her trace now. He started crying, the frustration, the guilt; he just wanted to cry. He hated being alone. Matt was on his knees now, letting the tears wash onto the floor. _It's my fault; they all count on me_._ It's my fault . . ._

However, the floor beneath him was old and began to give away. Before he had a chance to react, Matt fell through and once again hit a stone surface. He lay sprawled on the ground in pain; he felt blackness coming to him and another dream. 

"Guys! I think the noise came from this way!" cried Tai. He'd been following Matt's footsteps and then a huge crash that sounded like the floor collapsing. Sora, being the fastest got to the scene before the others.

"Oh my . . .Matt! Can you hear me?!" She looked below into the depth beyond. _I hope he is all right. That could be a deadly fall. _Sora started to turn and her foot slipped on a few scattered rocks causing her to lose her balance and fall backwards. She began to fall when she felt something grab her hand.

"I've got you Sora!" cried Tai, he barely managed to reach her in time.

"Tai, I'm slipping!" yelled the scared girl. Tai was struggling; the floor was definitely not sturdy. He could feel his weight being pulled down. TK, Joe, Mimi, and Izzy appeared reaching out for their friends. 

"Come on, don't let go!" they cried.

"Wait, Matt's down there!" said Tai. 

"I'm going after him," said a determined TK. 

"Stop! It's not safe" panicked Joe. But it was too late, they all lost their hold and plummeted towards the ground. 

Sora stood up shakily and could feel the bruises starting to form. _Well, they say pain builds character. _She brushed the dirt and gravel off, then turned to view her surroundings. She noticed the others slowly getting up and moaning about a few scrapes. Sora was startled to see Tai favoring an arm and ran over to help him.

"Tai, how's your arm?" she asked with concern.

"Oh, nothing I can't - OW! – shake off," he was doing a bad attempt to hold in the pain. Sora moved her hand along Tai's arm trying to determine if there was a sprain or not. Tai began to blush.

"You don't have to . . ." he stated.

"Oh shut up and let me take care of you – I mean help you," now she was blushing. The others moved their way over towards them. TK was very upset, still concerned about finding the location of Matt.

"He should be here," said the little boy. He looked down and put his hand in his pocket feeling the tag and crest of the 8th child. "I wish she was here to protect me." Then the crest began to glow. A single beam pointed out through the distant darkness. 

"Wow, prodigious!" marveled Izzy. He pulled out his digivice. "We can definitely track Matt now." 

"I think we've found him!" cried Mimi. They all ran towards a still figure on the ground. TK threw himself on his unconscious brother. 

"Wake up! Wake up!" choked TK with tears streaming down his face. The crest grew brighter, and all of their tags and crests glowed in unison. Once again the 8th child's tag floated into the air. 

"Do you think we've found the location of a memory?" asked Joe. 

"Only one way to find out," replied Tai. They gathered in a formation around Matt and the 8th child's crest. The glow soon filled the entire room and the digi-destined were guided to a past they never knew. This particular memory that they were to relieve was one with pain and triumph for the 8th child. 

**__**

Prologue for the next chapter . . . 

Where am I? Oh, my head . . . 

A girl sat strapped to a stone throne in a location unknown to her. She sat there struggling with the bonds that held her. She was determined not to show her fear. 

"I see you are finally awake. I enjoy looking into those beautiful eyes of yours," said an icy voice from beyond. The girl grimaced at the sound of it. She could definitely think of many other places she rather be than with him . . . Myotismon. 

"Ok, so you tricked me. Enough small talk – where's Gatomon?" Her eyes narrowed in the direction of laughter.

"That is so like you. Not afraid and determined as always. Perhaps that is why you're the bearer of this little trinket." A shiny tag and crest suddenly appeared from the shadows. "Determination. It's in your eyes, a window to your soul." The girl was starting to feel a little scared. She did not like where this conversation was going. 

"What do you want? If it's the ring, you can't have it." More laughter. A small winged creature also emerged from the shadows.

"Lord Myotismon doesn't want your lousy ring," hissed Demidevimon, "He wants you!" _Now I'm getting scared. _Her eyes started darting frantically around the chamber and she continued her struggling with the bonds. She could she more monstrous digimon shapes taking form. Dark fog swirled around her body and she gasped. She was now wearing a very long midnight, black velvet gown trimmed with a hot neon pink. Her hair was cascading down her shoulders and on top was a black crystal tiara. _This is sickening. Oh god, why does he want me?_ Tears were welling up in her eyes. She couldn't fight the fear any longer.

"Your immense power, your beauty. I want you to be my queen of the darkness. There's no one else."

"How come queen?" she choked between the tears, "If your 'lord' then what goes with that?" _Keep him talking, draw this out, you can escape. _

"Doubt yourself. Yes, keep thinking that. Your friends will never believe in you. Your crest won't glow. They just used your power for their own benefits."

"Stop it! Leave them out of this!" _This isn't right, Myotismon isn't right . . .is he? _Her mind became clouded with darkness. _Never give up, never . . .give up, its' useless._ Her head lowered and dark energy consumed her. Myotismon smiled cruelly. He had her in his power. She was his and the digi-destined were to meet their demise at the hands of their very own Digital Protector. 

Author's Note: Gasp! Finished – finally! I know, I know it's a lot and trust me there is more to come for this set. I promise it's not going to be tons of parts, but hey – that's why they call it a series. Part 4 I think is going to be much shorter and be posted much sooner (I had this part worked out long ago – easy, I hope). Hope you've been liking this. Please review, I appreciate all comments. Also, if you don't want to review the story, post good digimon websites that I should go to. I'm not that good at online searching. Especially sites where they tell you what really happened in the Japanese versions (a.k.a. "Sub Zero Ice Punch"). Thanks! 


	4. Part 4 - The 8th Child's Past

Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon or any of the other character except the one(s) I have created. If I did then . . . well, that would be cool or prodigious or heck, if I feel like it, perfecto. 

Previously: Izzy realized what had happened to the 8th child. She is somehow in an alternative universe and they need to get her back through lost memories if they are going to save the digital world. Now, they have found a memory and are viewing a past event in the life of the 8th child. (If you want to understand the saga better, read **A Forgotten Past: Part 1 – Dreams and Reality, Part 2- Through the Mist, **and **Part 3 – A Piece to the Puzzle**)

Author's Note: Sorry it took so long, but there was a lot I wanted to insert into this chapter, which also explains its length. And I have to admit I had some writer's block on this one (egads!). The memory takes place during the episode right after "Sora's Crest of Love" (which I know all Taiora fans enjoyed) and Gennai is about to announce the original 8th child thing to them. But of course, a lot is altered and inserted to make do with my story. I think you guys get the drift. Gatomon is now the 8th child's digimon and I'm going to give a lot more background information on the 8th child's past as well (like her name). And we're going to pretend that Gatomon is a rookie digimon (like she should be) and Salamon is in-training. It gets a bit dark at times because I'm trying to be deep. Trying is the key word here. Also, remember if something is unclear or whatever, its going to eventually be clarified. Thanks!

Funky Little Thought: I was really bored in my adv. algebra class and with out realizing it as I was doing a problem, I started singing very softly Matt's 20 sec song! Somebody asked me what I was singing and I looked up when it hit me! It was freaky! 

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They felt as if their minds were floating in the emptiness of time and space. The wait seemed like an infinite amount of time. Then light came followed by flashes of color, they were going to view the memory. 

The forest was thick and the warm rays from the sun beamed through the foliage. It seemed to be a peaceful day full of tranquillity. But is there ever a moment's rest in the digiworld? Of course not. 

The digi destined stood around the hologram projection of their guide to survival, Gennai - the mysterious being. He was there before the beginning and until after the end. His powers as well as his past were unknown to all, but a friendly face is always welcome when traveling in a strange world. Unfortunately, today Gennai did not arrive bearing pleasantries; he had come with news of their newest enemy – Lord Myotismon. 

"Gennai, have you come with information on the location of Ariel" asked Tai. They had all found each other and were still looking for her. 

"Yes, but I need to tell you some other things first," replied the old man. 

"Swell."

"Can we skip the introductory chatter?" questioned Joe, "I don't think my stomach can take the tension of what your doing here anymore." 

"Joe, your stomach can't take anything," replied Matt. 

"I tell him that too!" said Gommamon. 

"Enough, please!" exclaimed Sora. She rubbed her temple. 

"I think what my friends are trying to say Gennai," said Izzy, "Is that they want to know the reason for your presence." 

"Well children I have some news of three different kinds along with the whereabouts of your bearer of Determination. I have good, bad, and worse news."

"Tell us the worse news first, and then the bad and good seem better. I'm allergic to really bad news" commented Joe.

"Forget his sinuses, tell us the info in order," said Matt.

"Fine, fine. Well here goes." Gennai cleared his throat. "The good news is I've discovered another prophecy that will allow another to _temporarily_ join your party. This child will be known as the Digital Sovereign."

"What's their name?" 

"Um, I forgot." The children whined and then they sighed. Gennai always forgot everything. The again he's been around for a very, very long time. 

"Now then. The bad news is that Myotismon has also learned of the prophecy as well and he is going to go to your world to find this child. The child has a crest like each of you, but no digimon."

"Wait, what do you mean 'no digimon'?" asked Tai.

"They have no digimon, but the power to make the digimon around them digivolve. Hence the name Digital Sovereign. Myotismon wants to harness this power for himself to take over our word as well as yours."

"Well, I feel happier now, I can't wait for the 'worse' news," said a sarcastic Joe.

"Stop being such a downer Joe!," cried Mimi. Joe looked down and blushed. 

"Now, here's the worse news. Myotismon has captured Ariel and is currently holding her prisoner in his castle." The kids stood aghast. 

"We have to get her out of there!" yelled Matt. "She's our friend. She needs us!" 

"But what about Gatomon? And Ariel being the Digital Protector and all. I thought she could do anything," murmured TK. He really missed Ariel. She had been gone for a very long time. He remembered the last time he saw her, it was right at the amusement park where he ran into Demidevimon: **_flashback_**

The others had split up after Tai disappeared; it was obvious they needed his strong will and leadership. Sora knew that and left right away. And one by one the others departed too along with their digimon. But Matt refused to separate and acknowledge that Tai was their leader. Matt was the rebel and always would be. Matt, Ariel, and TK stayed together as a group because of TK's pleading. He really wanted Ariel to be with them. TK liked her a lot and thought of her as his older sister after everything she had done for the group and especially for him. If TK was sad, Ariel would try and cheer him up. And he always loved hearing her sing. Once, a while back when they were still on File Island, TK asked Ariel to sing him a lullaby and she pulled out her musical locket that she had since she was a baby. It made the little boy less homesick as well as feel like he was being looked out for. Of course, he would always look up to Matt. In TK's eyes, he would forever be "da man". 

But, as the trio traveled along. Ariel began to detect more and more of Matt's bitter resentment to Tai. TK would keep asking his brother if they would ever see their other friends again, and each time Matt would give a cold, curt remark silencing the younger child. Then finally Ariel saw TK crying for the last time. She yelled at Matt telling him that TK was only trying to find hope for their friends. She felt Matt was being selfish. Matt reacted just as harsh and he also insulted just a crudely. He told Ariel should just leave them alone. TK couldn't take another person he cared for leaving. 

__

"Don't go, he doesn't mean it," whispered TK.

"I know, I know," she shushed him.

"Please, he actually feels . . ."

"TK!" snapped Matt.

"It's ok. We'll see each other soon. And until we do, hold onto this. Remember, we're all in this together." **end flashback**

TK reached into his pocket and pulled out Ariel's locket. It was certainly very pretty. It was a star in the color of gold, shimmering with sparkles. He loved the melody it played. Matt looked at his brother with a guilty conscience hanging over his head. He knew he shouldn't have yelled at his friends the way he did. He never would have guessed that he was the bearer of Friendship. But he learned his lesson now. 

"So where do we find Myotismon?" asked Tai.

"There is a castle directly behind these hills. But I warn you, Myotismon's fortress is going to be armed heavily with all types of ruthless, digimon warriors. Be careful and take necessary precautions." The projection faded out. 

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It didn't take the group that long to reach the location of their enemy. The castle boomed majestically in front of them sending an eerie feeling up and down their spines. 

"Would ya look at that?" murmured Matt. 

"Who knew?" replied Joe.

"I'd say this architecture appears to be from the Gothic time known for it's baroque style in a mid-evil type era," reported Izzy. Once again, gawking could be seen.

"So what's the story morning glory?" requested Sora.

"The way I see it," began Izzy accessing files from his computer, " Is that we need someone or something to go and take care of the guards inside before the rest of us can commence with the second phase." 

"Gotcha!"

"Well, Agumon and I will go in to take out the troops. We won't be long" said Palmon. Mimi and Tai gave a respectful nod watching their digimon go off into the night. 

It wasn't too long when the duo returned.

"Wow, nice job guys!" commented Tai.

"Uh, Palmon? Why do you smell like soda pop?" questioned Mimi. Palmon shook her head.

"It's a long story." The group climbed up on Palmon's roots through a window of a tower. Tai instantly took command.

"Right. Let's split up. I figure Ariel and Gatomon will be separated so Gatomon can't digivolve. Joe, Izzy, Sora, and Mimi will go that way to look for Gatomon, while the rest of us look for Ariel. Capish?" Everyone nodded. "Let's go. And if you stumble across the gate to the real world by chance, make sure ol' bats for breath doesn't go through." 

"Yeah. Of course, what will happen is that I'll just open some random door and 'poof!' we'll be home, which will screw up the entire mission," mumbled Joe as he ran off with the rest of his group. 

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The hallways of Myotismon's castle lair were pitch black offering no source of light to the unwelcome guests with in. Hallowed laughs could be heard all around and enough torturous noises filled their ears that a scream was already bottled up inside their throats. No warm thoughts could come to mind. 

Tai felt outraged from their encounters with the Dark Lord. First, he sends out this winged nuisance, Demidevimon, attempting to break up the group further. Then, he tries stealing their crests. And, now, he was personally attacking one of his friends – he had it up to here with this guy. Actually, it was way past 'here'. It was already up to 'there' after Myotismon picked on Sora and her crest of Love. Of course it would glow, Tai couldn't imagine it not glowing. 

Tai looked over at Matt clearly shaken by Ariel's capture. TK had taken the news pretty hard as well. Matt did confide in him what had happened while he was away, but he didn't know all the guilt his friend was being burdened with. Matt walked with heavy steps; his head locked straight ahead, and eyes narrowed. Gabumon matched his partner stride for stride. TK was looking constantly at the locket he nurtured in his hand. They appeared as a duo for vengeance as well as apology. 

Agumon halted in the middle of a corridor. His keen nose sniffed the air around him. The others remained silent knowing the power of the digimon's sense of smell and how handy it could really be. 

"What do you smell Agumon?" said Tai gravely. 

"I think its Gatomon," the reptilian digimon replied. The others nodded and followed him down the direction he said the smell was coming from. They stopped and hid quickly when they saw an approaching Bakemon swoop past a suspicious looking door. 

"The scent is strong right here," whispered Agumon. Tai nodded.

"It must be coming from the dungeons," commented Tai. Very cautiously, the trio as well as their digimon, tip toed to the door and opened it slowly. The door marked a passageway down a flight of stairs to the lower chambers of the castle. It became very chilly and their breath began to steam in front of them as they walked farther and farther down. Finally, the reached the dungeon floor where several prison rows could be seen. There was no one on guard duty possibly due to the fact that the cells were protected by some kind of magic or every digimon flunky to Myotismon were getting ready for their departure to the real world. But whatever the reason, the boys did not have to worry about being spotted in the cold depths of the castle. 

Patamon flew softly ahead of the group able to glide past the cells with ease. The boys were a bit timid, partially due to the image of a prison which usually relates to torture and partially due to the fact that Ariel or Gatomon were in there somewhere. Suddenly, Patamon gave a shout that caused Matt and Tai to jump in surprise. 

"I've found her! I've found her!" the flying digimon cried out, "I've found Gatomon." Even though they were not assigned to look for that designated party member, the boys were still relieved to find their digimon friend because she could lead them to Ariel. Matt peered into the cell and gasped in shock. There was Gatomon chained to the wall along with Ariel's crest and digivice. Myotismon did not even bother to hide the digivolving items figuring that with out Ariel near them, they had no value. 

Gatomon was visibly weak. She looked dirty and depressed. Her whiskers were drooping and her claws no longer had their shine. Even her tail had lost some of its finesse. Matt was angered seeing the digimon like this. It was cruel and inhumane. He knew Ariel would be outraged to see her close companion mistreated so badly. 

With the combined forces of Agumon, Gabumon, and Patamon; the trio blast open the door to the prison chamber. Gatomon lifted her head up and her eyes adjusted to the figures moving towards her. 

"Its us Gatomon!" cried Tai, "We're here to rescue you!" The cat like digimon's eyes flickered with a familiar glow of endless perseverance when she saw the friends. 

"Finally," she said with her usual feline skepticism, but this time there was some genuine remorse in the tone. Once again, the chains were blast away by the other digimon. Matt gave support to Gatomon. 

"Gatomon," said Matt, "where is Ariel? What happened?" Gatomon's ears pricked up at the sound of her partner and close friend.

"Ariel," she said weakly, "Ariel, she's not what she seems." 

"Shhh," murmured Tai, "We'll find her. Don't you worry." Matt picked Gatomon up and held her carefully. 

"We need to find Myotismon," said Matt, "he could possibly lead us to her." 

"Go down this hallway," mumbled Gatomon, "I think he's holding her at the location of the gate." The group immediately ran to the flight of stairs that originally lead them down to the dungeon in the first place. They took the steps three at a time and concentrated on getting to their friend in the nick of time. 

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__

Meanwhile . . .

Myotismon glared over the cards dealt before him. Cards that fate handed to him on a silver platter. These cards, simple looking by a mere first glance, but in reality these cards were a complex puzzle that would lead Myotismon to his destiny. His destiny to rule both the human world as well as the digital. And nothing would stop him.

Nothing.

Except.

Ah, there was always an "except", which foils even the most perfect of plans. Myotismon turned his head and gazed into the fire that crackled in his study, where all of his master ideas were formed. The fire was almost an analogy to his own persona. The flame was strong and powerful, but stamped out by water. His water was light. Light which caused him to take cover in the day, however he took revenge at night. The only thing that hinders fire was the need for a torch and that's what Myotismon needed, a torchbearer. 

And he had found her. 

Myotismon reflected when he first saw her. Ariel. Her determination was what first sparked his interest in her. She seemed so willed to fulfill her position as both the foreseen Digital Protector as well as digi-destined. He liked her ambition, her spark. It made a person interesting and she was the first thing he ever found interesting besides his desire of conquest. 

Myotismon remembered he had sent Demidevimon to steal the crests of the prophesied children with out mercy. He saw that separation of the leader, which to his own joy started a chain reaction downfall in the others. He especially enjoyed watching the bearer of Love crumble after his departure. What ease love could be thwarted out! The reliable one was another easy task for his flunky along with sincerity. So gullible, it was pathetic. But the rebel, Demidevimon took pride in that one. He caused him to attack his friends as well as brother. He was rewarded well for that one. But, it was indeed the bearer of Friendship that caused him to glance over at Determination. Yes, he had heard a great deal about her from his network of spies. She was the chosen of the children given power and the ability to digivolve. He wanted to know why she, of all of them, was so special. 

So, once he learned of her separation from the rebel and smallest child (another delightful reaction that he did not even have to intervene in), he sent Demidevimon out once again to seep paranoia into the victim. The winged bat had an unusual gift for being able to twist the mind and cause panic. It was interesting to watch. Well, the digimon proved himself worthy sparing himself from torture. He convinced the girl to go through the forest rather than stay on the path. It was almost too easy. And once in the forest, Myotismon ruled. He sent his own digimon servants out to attack her and even her digimon companion, Gatomon, was powerless to stop them. He then appeared from out of the shadows as rescue. She actually trusted him for a brief amount of time . . . until she learned the truth. The truth that he actually tricked her, but it was too late by that time. Far too late.

She was his now. 

A smile crept over the vampire digimon's lips allowing his fangs to show. He would savior that moment when the brainwashing finally went into effect. Her eyes became diluted and lost their last hint of rebellion. Myotismon had a slight fetish for eyes. They were virtually windows to the soul. The eyes of Gatomon were the same when he pronounced the fate of her companion. The digimon's had flared with rage and even showed the same determination as her friend. It was obvious why those two were paired together. Like the others. 

Ah, the others. He would definitely enjoy watching them be terminated. Oh, he knew they were in his castle already, it was just only a matter of time. He threw back his head and released a laugh then letting the night engulf the horror it had with in. 

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"Izzy," said and impatient Mimi, "Are you sure your computer thingy is leading us in the right direction?" She stopped in the middle of a corridor tapping her foot in annoyance. Their current edition of the group was following directions given by Izzy, from what he downloaded from the digital networks of Myotismon's lair. Apparently, doing all that did not satisfy the tastes of the Great Mimi. 

"Yes Mimi I'm sure," sighed Izzy in a dull voice. He didn't feel like explaining the whole logic behind the program to her and if he did, it would have been most likely over her head. 

"Look Mimi," said Sora gently, "We're just going to have to trust Izzy. He knows what he is doing and I for one believe him. I know it's confusing, but if we are going to find our friends we are just going to have to work together." She gave an encouraging smile.

"Come one Mimi! I know you miss our friends!" said Palmon brightly grasping Mimi's hands. Mimi gave a small smile.

"I know it's just that this castle gives me the heebie-jeebies and that Myotismon – blech!" The others gave a small chuckle.

"He is pretty scary," replied Joe adjusting his glasses.

"No, it's not that," Mimi said shaking her head, "Have you seen his outfit? Gah! He could use a makeover. I mean the whole I-can't-show-my-face-cause-I'm-a-lonely-vampire-thing is _so_ yesterday." The others shook their heads and continued following Izzy's information. 

It wasn't too long when the group reached a great door that had stone gargoyles on each side as if they were protecting something that wasn't really there. 

"Creepy," cried Mimi and the others had to agree, but didn't say anything. Izzy looked at the door and turned to his laptop mumbling random things. However, Sora was feeling skeptical today.

"Izzy, are you sure there is some code around the door? I mean for all we know it could be unlocked." Biyomon flew up to her partner.

"Sora," she said, "It's Myotismon! He's evil!" Sora sighed that suggested that Biyomon was probably right. Mimi happily took a seat giving her feet a break and looked to Joe as if he was going to do the same. 

But Joe felt differently. He saw that both Tai and Matt were not in the group; the two candidates for the position of leader. They always argued, had all the attention, and powerful digimon (not that that there was anything wrong with Gomamon, its just that flying fish aren't that useful sometimes). But they weren't here now. Finally a chance, a chance for Joe to shine. He could be da'man. 

Joe walked towards the great door, past where Mimi had conveniently laid a spot out for him, and held his hand outstretched for the door handle. He touched the handle, clicked the lever and . . . 

It opened. The door actually opened. 

"Whoo-hoo!" cried Joe, "I'm da'man! Who opened the door! Me! Mr. Kido, right here! No autographs please!" He continued dancing victory circles around the others. 

"Joe," said Sora, "You opened a door." She shrugged her shoulders and walked through the doorway followed by Biyomon. Mimi gave a small smile and followed in suit, leaving Izzy and Joe staring at each other blankly. 

"Well, I guess it was much simpler than I thought," mumbled Izzy with Tentomon buzzing about his head. Joe sighed, defeated once again.

"Never a chance, never the hero . . ." he muttered dryly. 

"Come one Joe! Cheer up! Maybe you can die victorious in battle latter! Would that make you feel better?" said Gomamon. 

"Yeah, great." The pair entered the room and surveyed their new location. It looked like an elaborately furnished study complete with crackling fireplace. Everyone was once again in awe. 

"What do you suppose this room is for?" questioned Sora. Biyomon and Tentomon surveyed the room from an aerial perspective. 

"From what I know about evil digimon lairs," commented Tentomon, "I think we are in the location of Myotismon's own personal chamber." The others gave a small gasp.

"Ewwww!" said an appalled Mimi, "You mean this is like his bedroom! This is where he puts on his pj's! Gross! Bad mental images!" She covered her eyes with her hands. Palmon nuzzled reassuringly. Sora was not phased. 

"Look you guys," she said with some authoritative tone, "Maybe we should take a look around the room. It could give us a clue what Myotismon is up to such as the location of the gate to the real world as well as where he is holding our friends." Mimi, after she stopped ranting, and Izzy agreed and started to rummage. Sora glanced over at Joe.

"Come on Joe," she said brightly, "This will be . . . uh, interesting." Joe gave her a doubtful look.

"Interesting?" he said with a voice dripping with sarcasm, "I'll probably discover something I'm severely allergic to. And what if Myotismon decides to stop by and discover us rummaging through his stuff. I know I wouldn't be happy and he'll probably decided to torture us for eternity so count me out." Sora gave a sigh and muttered something like 'figures', allowing the older boy to stand glumly with his arms crossed. Joe peered down at Gomamon, who had a look on his face of torn between sticking by his friend or participating in something that would definitely be fun by his standards.

"Oh and I suppose you want to join in too," asked Joe somewhat patronizing the little digimon. 

"It looks cool! I bet he has neat stuff! Maybe I'll discover something that will make you more fun!," quipped Gomamon in attempt to make his friend laugh. Joe gave him a look and dismissed him with a wave.

"Very well just," no sooner than he spoke that, the digimon sprinted off with glee, " . . . try to be careful," finished Joe to an invisible Gomamon. So, for a decent amount of time the gang, minus one Joe, and digimon searched through the drawers, tall bookshelves, and amazingly, papers on Myotismon's desk. They seemed very focused and intent on finding a clue of some sort. Joe, beginning to feel a bit tired and perhaps even useless, plopped down in the characteristically big, plush red chair positioned by the fireplace. His sore body from their endless walking felt at ease in the comfort of the soft cushions. Even the fire, that seemed to be "roaring" _too_ nicely by Joe's standards, was delightful and the boy allowed its warmth to cover his body. Then Joe decided to do something he hadn't done in a long time . . . he relaxed. Maybe it was the irony of the whole situation or the fact that he felt they were doomed either way, but Joe allowed for once his mind to be at ease and all those incessant worries to disappear for while. He closed his eyes and peacefully slipped into a light slumber. 

Mimi peered over at the older boy now looking quite content in the big armchair. He certainly looked comfortable and at peace. Mimi giggled seeing Joe with his mouth hanging open with a light snore. She thought he looked cute when he wasn't whining about the group being utterly cursed or whatever. The young girl turned back to her surroundings. To be more specific, the bookcase in front of her. It was one of those classing horizontal cases seen in the old libraries. Mimi was peering through the shelves and flipping through the books once in a while if something seemed interesting. There was this weird book talking about potions and junk, but it got too boring for her taste. As Mimi scanned over the books with her eyes, her vision was suddenly caught on one book fairly high up on a shelf. It was no where near any distance a dainty little thing like Mimi could reach, but for some reason the book seemed worthy of some gaze. She turned to Palmon who was quietly sorting next to her. 

"Palmon," whispered Mimi, "do you see that book up there?" The digimon glanced in the direction her partner was pointing. 

"Where Mimi, there's tons of books!" said Palmon. 

"Up near the top, the blue one with the trim!" she insisted. 

"Oh I see it, it looks pretty! But I thought you liked pink?" 

"No, no! It looks weird or out of place. I just want to see it. Could you get it for me?" 

"Sure! **Poison **. . . " 

"Prodigious!" exclaimed Izzy interrupting Palmon's attack. "I believe I have stumbled on to something!" Izzy was furiously typing away at his laptop as Tentomon landed next to him. Mimi shrugged and walked over figuring she could get to the book later. 

"Izzy, what did you find out?" asked Sora curious about the progress her group was making. 

"Well being in what could be referred to as the 'heart' of Myotismon's lair, I think I have found some more information on what our friend his trying to do."

"Ok then tell us?"

"We all know that the gate Myotismon plans on using to travel to the real world is in the premises, but hidden. However, I am certain that the passageway to that gate is somewhere in this very room. Also by tapping into his hard drive I have discovered the location of Tai and the others as well as Ariel and Gatomon. If you notice the dots here, color coded mind you, we see this clump over here of orange, blue, and yellow – Tai, Matt, and TK along with their digimon counterparts. But, there is an odd dot out and if I click it click we get a digimon profile for Gatomon proving we have found one of our missing pair." The others gave a relieved sigh at the information. Half of their mission was complete. 

"Is it possible you can find Ariel too, right?" asked Sora. She looked at the boy's face, which was in a serious expression, but his eyes faltered telling her that something wasn't right. "Izzy . . . we can find Ariel can't we?" 

"I'm afraid I'm having problems accessing her location. If the program is indeed correct we should be able to find her. However it seems as if she is being hidden some how, a buffer even. One minute I get a signal and the next it has vanished. I am coming under the impression that someone, namely Myotismon, doesn't want us to find her." 

"What?" gasped Mimi. 

"Izzy are you sure?" inquired Tentomon. "Why don't you see where the others are heading? If they ran into Gatomon, she might be leading them to Ariel." Izzy snapped his fingers.

"Excellence observation Tentomon," exclaimed Izzy. 

"I know."

"Ok," Izzy began to mutter, "If I click over here . . . wait, what do they think they're doing? Oh no – that's the wrong way, the bad way! Guys!" The younger boy snapped his head up. "The others have found the gate!"

"Isn't that a good thing," asked Mimi.

"No currently very bad! There are loads of digimon there waiting to enter the real world, and if they enter they're pretty much walking into a trap!"

"Can't we warn them somehow?" said Sora becoming very concerned for her friend's safety, "They have no idea what's behind those doors and if they do find Myotismon they'll be no match for him. Remember last time." Sora self-consciously brought her hand to her crest recalling the harsh words exchanged as well as the moment her crest finally glowed. 

"Myotismon isn't there," replied Izzy. He was beginning to pale. "I can't locate his yet, I need more time . . ."

"Well do something!" shrieked Mimi, "We have to find that creepazoid before it's to late! He could be attacking them any second!" 

"I'm well aware of that Mimi, but I just need a second," Izzy immediately went back to typing at his computer leaving the two girls to wait in fear. In fear for their friends and in fear for themselves. And in fear of Myotismon. 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Joe continued the sleep in the comfy, red chair. His mind wandered back and forth between pleasant thoughts as a way of calming himself down. The sounds echoing around him provided a soothing background noise too. The fireplace, the chatter of his friends, the loud thumping from the hallway . . . 

The increasingly getting louder thumping from the hallway. 

The hairs on Joe's neck began to stand up. His nerves were tightening. Had he just imagined the sound? The castle was playing tricks on him. Old castles are like that. Joe gripped the arms of the chair trembling a little. He didn't dare open his eyes. There was laughter now and some screeching. It wasn't going away. There would be no where for them to run . . . 

Joe opened his eyes still attached to the chair. 

"Guys," he whispered terrified to the core, "Guys . . . " The others didn't hear him. "Guys, w – we n-need t-o go n-now," The older boy shakily stood up turning to his friends with a grim look on his face. Gomamon looked at his friend strangely. 

"What's wrong Joe?" he asked, "Not having any fun!" The digimon laughed. 

"Shhhh!" Sora turned to face Joe. 

"Joe, why are you shivering?" She was starting to become afraid as well. 

"Something's coming. Down the hallway. I can hear it. Something big. Something _mean_." The others inched towards the door leading to the hallway trying to listen for any noise. 

"I don't hear anything," whispered Mimi, but from the look on her face she was too scared to tell. Then Izzy snapped his head up. 

"There _is_ something out there. It's Myotismon!" 

"What?" cried Tentomon.

"No way!" said Biyomon.

"I was right," remarked Joe even though he was vibrating in shock. 

"There is a huge presence heading towards this room. I was just able to pick it up because it was so close by. But I don't know how we'll be able to sneak out with out him seeing us." 

"Do something!" screamed Mimi. Then the booming got louder! Closer, closer the noise was terrifying to listen to. Thuds, screams! The children recoiled in horror. 

"Come on! Think of something you guys!" cried Sora. But everyone was too stiff to move. Mimi stood shaking. She didn't want to face that awful Myotismon again. What could _she _do? Her eyes darted back to the bookcase. Then it occurred to her. Maybe, just maybe. 

"Palmon!" Mimi screamed, "Grab that book I told you to get earlier!"

"Now?" asked Palmon bewildered.

"Yes!"

"**Poison Ivy!"** The plant like digimon's vines grabbed the desired book and pulled hard. The book only went an inch out when there was a click. 

"It's the entrance!" commented Izzy. The group ran to the bookcase.

"It didn't open," shouted Joe. 

"I think it's stuck," said Sora. They all began to push against the giant book case as the terror came near the door. Suddenly they saw a huge flash of red glow from the crack beneath the door. 

"He's hear!" screamed Mimi. 

"On three push," commanded Sora, "One . . . two . . . three!" The might of the four children and their digimon caused the bookcase to swing around. They were pulled by the mechanical springs and thrown into the dark tunnel on top of each other. They heard a click of the bookcase finishing its turn and closing the entrance to where they laid. Then a deep voice was heard establishing their fears of the monster was indeed Myotismon. 

"D – Down the stairs," stammered Izzy as he led the group through the passageway. Everyone began to calm down slightly breathing hard. 

"Mimi," whispered Joe, "How did you know that book was the one?" The young girl, who was actually holding on to the novel, flipped it over gently in her hands. She brushed the dust off the cover and read the word inscribed. 

__

Sincerity.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The boys were running along the castle's corridor feeling their hearts beat rapidly inside them. They were following Gatomon's instructions and supposedly they should find where Myotismon's gate to the real world is. 

And Ariel. 

None of them grew tired from the sprinting. Not even TK. The terror surrounding them and the blood rushing through their veins compelled their spirits. Gatomon hardly seemed to be weak anymore, although Matt stilled carried her, but her face set in a look of strong will. Tai then came to an abrupt halt. He signaled the other two to remain silent. They came to an opening of what would appear to be another hallway, but as their vision became clearer through the darkness all thoughts lead to one direction. They had indeed found the location of the gate. 

Through the opening and trying to remain hidden, the small group saw a huge docking area of digimon obviously ready to be transported to the real world. Rookies, champions, ultimates . . . all kinds of monsters ready to seek havoc. But the real monster was no where in sight. Tai noticed a huge irons gate that loomed on one of the walls. There were symbols etched on its borders and a few digimon would hover by the door before creeping away. They seemed perplexed and awed by its presence as if there was some powerful force surrounding it. Perhaps there was. 

"What do you see, Tai?" whispered Matt. His azure eyes glowed with bravery. 

"Digimon," he said, "A whole mess of them, waiting to go through some kind of gate. We're going to need the whole gang for this one." He saw the look Matt gave him the minute he finished his sentence and could tell what the boy was thinking. "No Matt, I didn't see Ariel down there." Matt sighed clenching his fists. 

"So what do we do?" asked TK. 

"We should go ahead and attack," 

"What?" cried Matt aghast by Tai's proposition. "Are you nuts? There's a whole hoard of evil digimon down there? One false move and we're gonners. We need to wait for our friends!" 

"That's it Matt! We don't have the time to wait for them! That gate could be opening any minute and we'll botch our chances of doing anything! The others will be fine, we just need to worry about the present!" Matt sighed once again as a silent agreement. Tai gave him a reassuring smile. 

"Hey man, with you and me teamed up we're going to kick some serious . . ."

"Don't even say that word in front of TK."

"What word Matt? 

"Never mind." The older boy just gave his sibling a pat on the back, which closed the discussion. 

"So Tai," piped up Agumon, "What do you want us to do?"

"Digivolve?" questioned Gabumon. The two digimon were prepared to do anything that was requested of them. 

"Not yet," said Tai, "When I give the word, we run in and then when the time is right, I bet you guys can figure out what to do." Everyone nodded in agreement. "Also," he added, "While the digimon fight, Matt and I will look for Ariel."

"Don't forget me Tai," said Gatomon still struggling under her condition. Tai sighed. 

"Please let me help?" requested TK innocently. Patamon swooped softly overhead.

"We'll do what we can," said Matt. Then the noise through the passageway got louder. Tai gave a short nod and the group ran down the staircase towards all the digimon. It appeared that their master had arrived.

Myotismon stood in front of all his servants like the ringmaster to his own personal circus. He gave a calm smile and thrust his arms open calling even more attention to himself. 

"It is time for me to claim my destiny," he exclaimed boldly "We will not rest till the Digital Sovereign is found and their power mine along with the rest of the human world." A huge reply of cheers came. Myotismon held up a hand to silence them. "I'm sure you're all aware of the crest I gave you and the responsibility that goes with it. Do not fail me! This is a mission that defies everything! This is a mission of fate! I'm sure all of you are aware of the consequences . . ." The calm looked turned malicious. His hand made a "closer" gesture and two Bakemon brought forth a Gatzumon. The digimon looked frightened as well as looking previously bruised. Demidevimon fluttered over by Myotismon, always pleased to see a punishment. 

"Are you aware of the crime you've committed?" said Myotismon in a low voice even though everyone heard. The Gatzumon whimpered pitifully. 

"I . . . I did n-nothing . . . Lord Myotismon" Myotismon laughed.

"Ha, you dare question my intelligence that I do not know a fool when I see one?"

"No! That's not what I meant!" 

"I'm sure," but his voice had no mercy. Once again, the evil master digimon addressed the crowd. "This tiresome excuse for a servant has doubted me for sometime now. They speak that I will accomplish nothing in the real world and have made some attempts to tamper with 'The Project'. This digimon has even thrown the tag and crest, that I so generously donated, away."

"Not true! Not true!" Deaf ears heard the screams of protest. 

"Demidevimon," spoke Myotismon. 

"Yes boss?" sneered the bat digimon. 

"Would you kindly explain what we do to traitors?" Demidevimon's smile broadened. 

"We get rid of 'dem!" Cold laughter filled the air as every digimon servant joined in the scene being unfolded. Then Myotismon struck. 

"**Grizzly Wing!" **The horrible attack consisted of ruthless bats swamped the poor Gatzumon destroying him in one swipe. Digital dust was all that remained. 

"See to it that you remember this lesson," said Myotismon snidely. The digimon nodded in agreement, but one voice stood out against them all. 

One boy. And one Greymon. 

And besides him stood one girl with her Birdramon. And next to her were another boy and a Garurumon. And behind him was another boy with his Ikkakumon. And next to him rose one girl and a Togemon. And next to her another boy and his Kabuterimon. And finally one small child with one small tear. And a Patamon for that matter. In the middle of them all a Gatomon, her eyes shinning brightly. 

"Noooooooooo!" shouted Tai at the top of his lungs. Myotismon became outraged. 

"Who dares to speak out against me?" 

"We do!," cried Tai once again, "Myotismon you're gonna pay for what you did. What you've done against us as a whole and what you do to our friends alone."

"Return our friend!," shouted Sora. 

"And don't even think about going to the real world!," argued Mimi, which shocked everyone with her bravery. They stood united and linked by teamwork, but they knew they could never be fully threaded together without one more. And that's whom they were here to battle for. A friend. No, much more than that a protector. 

****

"Nova Blast!"

"Meteor Wing!"

"Howling Blaster!" The attacks rang out as a special harmony with a destructive cord. 

****

"Electroshocker!"

"Needle Spray!"

"Harpoon Torpedo!" The collective of attacks stuck the digimon opponents who weren't ready for the surprise offensive. Myotismon merely laughed not even shaken by his enemies. 

"Don't waste your breath," he said to his servants then made a wave to the magnificent gate causing it to open revealing a white light, "Go to the real world and wait for my orders! I have certain intentions to give to our uninvited guests." The digimon obediently followed their master's orders. "Now where were we?" 

"You were just about to give us our friend back," snapped Tai. 

"Oh really? That shows what you know – I don't take orders from weaklings!" growled Myotismon. 

"You should learn some manners then," cried Gatomon outraged leaping from Matt's arms and bounding out in front of the group with a paw tightly balled. "Release Ariel or else!" Myotismon scoffed. 

"Or else what? You're going to cough up a hair-ball? Ha! In fact I'm surprised to see you here at all. I thought you would have given up by now. Don't you know you can't defeat me?" Gatomon just narrowed her eyes in response. 

"I never give up! I believe in myself and my dreams! I believe you will be defeated! And most of all, I believe in Ariel, because she never gives up and she wouldn't want us to either!"

"Well, be prepared to see you dreams destroyed!" That remark cut Gatomon to the quick because she wasn't ready to see what Myotismon had planned. The lights became dark all of a sudden; pitch black even. Suddenly one bright light stood out, a spotlight, on a figure in the corner. Whoever they are, their face and form was hidden in shadows. Then they walked towards Myotismon as if they had been commanded to do so. When emerging more into the brighter light, the mysterious figure threw off the black cloak that hid their true image revealing a secret that was finally ready to share. 

It was Ariel. 

"I am the Dark Protector" Her voice was harsh and full of cruelty. Even though her outfit had changed to the long, midnight black velvet gown, her face was hard and uncaring. The gown was even trimmed with a hot, neon pink that was too bold for even Mimi to wear. Some of the coloring seeped into her normally auburn hair flowing over her shoulders. It was not a splendid sight to see for her friends. 

"What did you do to her?!" raged Matt. 

"Nothing," smirked Myotismon, "I merely enhanced her powers and this so happened to be the outcome," 

"Yeah right," argued Joe, another shocking personality twist, "Brainwashing is the word I'd used."

"Or a sickening program usage in my opinion," scowled Izzy. Then Tai spotted something.

"What's that thing in her hair?" he asked. The others noticed it too.

"Oh my . . . it's a crown!" said Sora aghast. 

"You made her your queen?!" shouted Matt. He was furious to the extreme. 

"You say that as if it is a terrible thing," laughed Myotismon, "But really you're the ones to blame for her coming to me." The children gave Myotismon a puzzled look. 

"What the heck are you talking about?" asked Joe. Then finally, Ariel spoke to them directly. 

"Don't play stupid," she sneered shocking everyone, "You always took advantage of my gifts! You used me and finally abandoned me!"

"That's not true!" shouted Mimi.

"He's been lying to you," replied Izzy. Ariel disregarded their remarks.

"So what if he has? Myotismon sheltered me from the brutal forces this world has to offer, especially from you corrupt people! He showed me the true light of how things really are! If it's in my way, then I destroy it. Darkness can conquer everything."

"You can't be serious," whispered Sora. 

"Oh I am. I'm tired of being hurt! Nobody believes in me!" All of her vengeance was being released in her speech and the dark energy could be seen flowing around her body. Myotismon looked very pleased. 

"But . . ."

"Enough!" Ariel shouted, "I tire of your excuses! It's all false ideals! Now, feel the receiving end of my pain!" She thrust her hands towards the sky extending her finders. 

****

"Dark Strike!" Dark lightning bolts came at the digi-destined surging them full of pain weakening them greatly. They all collapsed to the floor panting along with their champion digimon. Ariel laughed loudly. 

"And that that was only a small taste of my power," she giggled. The children struggled to get up. "Oh I'm sorry," she added mockingly, "Did that hurt?"

"Stop it!" screamed Mimi, "You're not Ariel!" 

"Yes I am! This is Ariel at her true potential! No thanks to you! You've kept me down and powerless for a long time! Now it is time to finish you off once and for all!" The digi destined gaped at the girl who was filled with immense power, she even hovered a few inches off the ground. They didn't know what to do. If they attacked, Ariel could be hurt and never return to her former self. And if they stood there . . . 

__

This isn't her, thought TK, _This isn't Ariel. Ariel isn't like this. Ariel isn't mean._ Another explosion, Kabuterimon collapsed to the ground and de-digivolved. 

"It was indeed time to get out the bug spray!" 

__

Why does she hate us? What can we do? Two lightning bolts hit Birdramon and Garurumon also de-digivolving. 

"Lightning can strike twice!"

****

"Crimson Lightning!" Myotismon also joined in on the fight sending Togemon and Ikkakumon crashing into the castle wall. 

"Or even thrice!" Ariel was becoming increasingly evil each time she attacked, if they didn't do something soon there would be no way to change her back. 

TK was scared. He stared with his wide, innocent eyes at the carnage that was continuing to unfold around him. He saw his brother and his friends along with his digimon fall to ground hit by deadly attacks again and again. He closed his eyes. 

__

Maybe if I pretend their not there they'll just go away. Then he thrust his hand and pulled out Ariel's music box. It seemed to glow brightly in all the darkness. _I hope there's a way._ Suddenly, the attacks stopped, but Ariel's voice boomed once more. 

"And now the finishing touch!" Everyone cringed expecting the worst. 

****

"Dark St –" 

"No!" Ariel surprisingly stopped; shocked that she was being interrupted. She froze with her eyes searching in all directions for the location of the voice. And then she felt something around her waste. It was TK.

"Little boy," she whispered obviously confused by the emotions surrounding her, "Little boy, why are you . . . touching me like this?" Her voice was softer though it still had some gruff qualities to it. 

"Because," sniffled TK, "If you're feeling bad and alone, a hug is something everyone needs." Ariel trembled greater. "Please come back with us," said TK his face streaming with tears, "I'm sorry."

"Sorry?"

"You're my friend."

"Friend? You consider me your friend?"

"And you made a promise," the boy held out the musical star, "When we saw each other again, I would give you this." Ariel reached out as if memorized by the trinket; she let her fingers caress the edges of the star frame. 

"It plays a song?" she asked.

"Yes." TK nuzzled himself in her lap feeling more secure. Ariel felt a tear rolling down her face and she touched it. 

"Why, why am I crying? I have no feelings, I – I can't have emotion." 

"Of course you can. You believe in us. And we believe in you." Those words seemed to trigger Ariel as she let more tears flow. She bent down and hugged TK who embraced her back strongly. The two held each other and let the emotions pour out. Myotismon, like everyone else, was confused by the sudden feelings. He did not plan on the child to ruin everything. 

"Step away from her boy," snarled Myotismon. Ariel defensively blocked TK. 

"Don't touch him. I can see who's lying now."

"Do you?" Ariel clamped her head reeling in pain. Memories shooting back into her head . . . right, wrong, good, and evil. She used all her strength to block Myotismon's attempts to re-control her.

****

"Dark Strike!" But the power inside her didn't feel right. 

****

"Lightning Paw!" Gatomon leaped out and took a swing at Myotismon, but his abilities surpassed hers so she was flung easily away. Ariel looked up and caught Gatomon. 

"Gatomon," she whispered, "I'm sorry. It's all my fault."

"Don't say that," pleaded Gatomon, "If anyone's sorry it is me. I wish I could encourage you more, give you strength, but I was looking for someone. The Ariel I used to know. The one who never doubted herself and felt she could do anything. The one with the crest of Determination." 

"That's my crest?" She didn't know what the symbol was or if it even had meaning. Gatomon made a nod. Ariel's brow furrowed and she gave a cocky grin. Her confidence restored. 

"Well it's about time I knew," she grunted as she stood up placing her digimon on the ground. She twisted the ring on her finger. 

"I think its time I kicked some serious bat butt," she muttered. The others noticed her new disposition and cheered. 

"Nice to have you back!" cried Tai. Ariel and Gatomon nodded to each other. 

****

Gatomon digivolve to . . . Tigramon!

Ariel digivolve to . . . Digital Protector! 

The pair of digi-destined and digimon looked very impressive standing before them all. Ariel looked to her partner now a huge white tiger with impressive wings on her back. Her two front paws wore the digimon's rookie counterpart's gloves. The same gaze met staring back at the girl now adorned with a thin strapped mint green dress that was form fitting to about her mid thigh, but met with a little above knee high white boots. Equally long and colored white gloves were on her arms. And to top it off a tiara resting below her bangs with an opal. Once again her long hair down falling behind her back. 

It was time for revenge.

"So you decided to turn against me," scowled Myotismon.

"I was never with you," retorted Ariel her fists clenched. 

****

"Spiral Fire!" A curl of fire streamed at Myotismon as he dodged the attack with out so much as flinching. 

****

"Cat Scratches!" Tigramon's attack of sharp energy blades also came close to its target, however it too was thwarted. Myotismon boastfully laughed.

"Haven't I proven my power to you yet?"

"No," argued Ariel, "You showed me how much of a jerk you are."

"Well I better rectify that." 

****

"Nightmare Claw!" The shadowy attack swooped around Ariel before anyone could do something otherwise. The girl was somewhat paralyzed as the shadow began to swirl around her body increasing into a tornado. Inside the whirlwind, more voices tried to sway Ariel's mind. 

**__**

Don't bother escaping you can't do anything . . . 

"That's a lie, I can conquer my fears."

**__**

Myotismon will defeat you yet; you're useless . . . 

"Stop saying that! It's not true!"

**__**

He'll take your friends down one by one . . . 

"Leave them out of this!"

**__**

It's only a matter of time before you're a slave once again . . . 

"Never!!!" Ariel's feelings were suddenly released, "I will never give up! I will defeat Myotismon and I swear I will save the digital world! I believe in myself and my friends, and nothing, and I mean nothing, is going to stop me otherwise!"

Then the swirling stopped as a great light overtook it.

"My crest," whispered Ariel in astonishment, "It's glowing." 

****

Tigramon digivolve to . . . Lunar Tigramon! 

Where Tigramon once stood there was now a giant golden brown feline standing upright with glorious golden wings with equally colored hair flowing. She wore an emerald green halter-top with matching amulet as well as black pants. 

"Tigramon digivolved," murmured TK stating the obvious. 

"Lunar Tigramon," said Tentomon with the necessary information, "is the ultimate form of Tigramon. Her wings are huge and very strong with a ton of force. Watch for her Cosmic Crystal Power attack, it's a doozy!" The others awed and focused their gaze onto Ariel who was still swirled in the light. Could she digivolve too?

Yes, she can. 

****

Digital Protector digivolve to . . . Ultima Protector! 

"How can this be?" gasped Myotismon shocked that his plans unfolded so quickly. He stared at the powerful girl now brandished with greater weapons. Ariel had grown wings on her gloves as well as her boots. A long lilac ribbon wound around each arm and arched over her head. Two white belts were also stretched across her waist. 

"Myotismon," spoke Ariel, "You wanted a challenge, well you've got one now." 

****

"Heaven's Charge!" A rainbow cascade of light shot out from the girl's hands shoving Myotismon towards the doorway. He struggled to retaliate. 

****

"Cosmic Crystal Power!" Lunar Tigramon's attack also impacted on Myotismon and combined, the two powerful forces pushed the vampire digimon through his own gate, but alas, he also managed to close it as he was thrown away. 

The radiance surrounding the two suddenly died to a light glow as they de-digivolved. While Lunar Tigramon returned back to her in-training form as Salamon, Ariel went back to . . . well Ariel. The partners stood for a moment before slumping over from exhaustion. 

"Ariel!" cried out Sora rushing to her friend's side. Biyomon did the same for Salamon. Ariel sighed and tried to use what little energy she had left. 

"I'm all right," she said weakly, "I guess if you call being brainwashed an enjoyable activity." 

"Save your strength" shushed Sora playing her motherly role. Ariel sniffled.

"You guys mean so much to me . . . I never meant to . . . those things I said," she trailed off. Tai held up his hand.

"Hey, we know you and if you really thought of us badly we would've heard it already. Or at least I would have." They all gave a light chuckle. 

"Just take it easy," said Joe, "If you're so busy protecting us, who's going to protect you?" 

"Is Salamon ok?" She tried to look over to her digital friend.

"She'll be fine," said Biyomon. Then put a wing to her beak indicating her little friend was sleeping. "I think you should get some rest too", she added. 

"I think we all need some good shut eye," said Izzy. The others nodded in agreement. 

"Wait," said Ariel as she pushed herself up one final time, "TK . . ." The little boy came foreword. They looked at each other; no words were needed as they exchanged a strong hug. Then, Joe bent down and picked up the girl who began to drift to sleep. As Ariel closed her eyes she noted the teary faces of all the faces of the friends she held so dear. Even Matt, who was usually so composed, looked a little red eyed. 

They really believe in me . . . 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The final image of the memory was held in their minds until it faded away like so many incidents ago. The colors changed back to dull shades and the blackness returned. Their minds relaxed until they would wake up and remember the day they had been through in a lifetime not so long ago. 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Gennai woke up. 

The old man who watched over the chosen children as well as guarded the digital world came out of a strange dream rather abruptly. He could not remember falling asleep, but when old age comes the mind begins to wander. Gennai groggily sat up in the chair he had slept in recalling what he had just visioned. 

He stood up and walked around his humble abode collecting his thoughts. Its not everyday someone who was erased from time comes back. Gennai went to his bookshelf and began to flip through some pages of an old manuscript filled with ancient texts of digital code. The old man enjoyed collecting the historical knowledge this world had to offer. It gave him prophecies as well as information on the first digi-destined who arrived when the digital world was still new and adapting to its inhabitants. Gennai was a young man then and not as wise, but still they triumphed. 

Gennai flipped a page of the book and scanned through the text trying to determine the necessary knowledge. He closed his eyes remembering the word the children had mentioned in the dream. His finger stopped and he opened his eyes.

__

Digital Protector 

  * Coming from an old myth from the ancient world of the digi, the Digital Protector tells of the destiny selected for one of the chosen children. Both a destined with a digimon, this child will be given the power to digivolve as well as the responsibility to guard her fellow destined and the digimon of this world when attacked directly. The myth tells of a young child – boy or girl, doesn't say - who never ceased to give up and kept vigilance over all. Much is still to be translated; however the crest, digivice, and digimon of the selected will react together if these requirements are met. There is only one. 

Gennai had heard of the legend for many years when each group of children would come to be heroes and someone would mention the myth to see if it would come true. But he was not surprised to see no protector yet. Those groups of children were indeed right to be chosen, but they did not have the sparkle that the current destined had. 

The digi destined always had different crests per group. Not one collective was the same as the others. Gennai enjoyed working with the present children. He thought they were chosen wisely and had excellent quality traits. They had defeated the digital world's enemies much faster and more efficiently than the others. Perhaps they would finally succeed where many had failed. The old man chuckled in delight as he returned to his notes. Suddenly, he changed his mind to the book he was reading and switched to a photo album. 

Gennai collected the images he took through his networks of each bunch of digi destined. For the many other groups that were eventually destroyed by the dark forces, they were sadly, very thin. But once again the present bunch outdid the others with an impressive amount of photography of incredible battles and closeness to one another. He flipped through the pages laughing at the first awkward days to their unbeatable status. Then he noticed a group shot they had actually taken willingly. There were all the children and digimon smiling broadly, but there seemed something odd about the picture. There were seven kids . . . seven? Gennai frowned. _I chose eight, I always choose eight. _Then a small haze began to creep into the picture and formed into a person with a digimon next to them. Gennai finally pieced the puzzle together. 

"The 8th child has indeed returned." 

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Author's Note: Wow, this is my longest fic ever. Sheesh, I was actually going to keep on writing an even longer Part 4, but I thought you people could use a mental break and it would be easier to separate the next idea from this one. So, please continue reading and I hope you've enjoyed the series so far. If you want something humorous go read **Matt and the Pimple **or **My Date with June: A Night to Remember. **I always have to advertise. So thanks again! And Part 5 is on the way!

For Your Information: Ok, I'm going to be daring and if anyone responds to this – yea! I'm proposing a contest (doesn't mean I'll do it – It's just a thought). The contest is to write a story using a couple(s) you don't believe in. Holy smokes! Example, I loathe Mimato (sorry), there's just no freaken evidence, etc (I would rant, but I'm resisting). So I would write a shudder Mimato. Dakari for Takari lovers, and so on. I think it's a good idea that we try breaking the couple war barrier. 

Requirements: Email me ([_gypsyrosy@aol.com_][1]) notifying me of your entrance/interest. In your author's note, tell me why you loathe the couple so much and if your story really throws away all beliefs – you win! The prize is, I will acknowledge/dedicate my next story to you, and I will write either (A) the couple story of your choice even if its shudder Mimato. And with this story you get to choose some stuff, angsty, suicidal, fluff, etc. (B) Give me a character. Say you created a character for one of your stories and they fall in love with (lets pick a favorite) Matt. I will write a story with those two characters. Heck, it can even be you for all I know! Just – if you win – give me all the physical and character traits. I think I'm being generous. Now, if no one enters (either way its all fun) just tell an idea and I'll write it (put it in the review!) Tell your friends! Tell your neighbors! 

puff I'm done. Enjoy!

****

   [1]: mailto:gypsyrosy@aol.com



	5. Part 5 - Ariel's Return

Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon or any of the other character except the one(s) I have created. If I did then . . . well, that would be cool or prodigious or heck, if I feel like it, perfecto.

Author's Note: Ok, Part 5. This is more light hearted and we now get more into the actual story and tell why Ariel is not in the digi destined's present. So a lot is finally revealed. Also, you are going to learn more about Ariel's character such as personality. I want to make it clear that I intended to make Ariel's image alluded in the first half of the saga because they wouldn't know that much about her and for me to focus on her character in the memory would require a lot more writing and such. I just wanted to make the memory clear and to the point. Anyway, hope you understand that and my sincere thanks to the reviewer who gave me the excellent character analysis review. More humor, as well as Taiora and Mimoe hints . . . maybe something for Matt, our bachelor? Could be. Thanks! 

Previously: The digi destined viewed the memory of the true 8th child, a girl named Ariel with her digimon Gatomon. The past event they saw was where Myotismon had captured as well as brainwashed her, but Gatomon did digivolve to her ultimate level, Lunar Tigramon. Ariel is also the Digital Protector, a digi destined given the power to digivolve. (To understand it better, read **A Forgotten Past: Parts 1-4**) 

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When the digimon returned to the parlor that they had left their partners in, they were shocked and rather scared that the room was empty. It seemed odd that they had disappeared rather suddenly and to leave no sign or indication of where they went to. Agumon, perhaps picking up a few leadership pointers from Tai, immediately sent out the digimon to different corridors in search of the missing humans. It wasn't long when Palmon had walked down a hallway to discover a huge hole in the floor. She lowered herself down and discovered the children. Palmon called out to the others right away. 

Soon enough, all seven digimon were cradling their respectful counterparts wondering as well as hoping that they would not be . . . 

"Dead!" cried out Bioymon, "Dead! Sora can't be dead!" The pink bird was emotionally upset due to her loving nature. Palmon didn't say anything, but the tears watering the ground where she stood was proof enough. Agumon stayed strong because he felt Tai would have wanted him to. Tentomon was actually quite disturbed having difficulty understanding the nature Izzy was in. Gomammon was strangely quiet, not even saying some joke and Gabumon, being very different from Matt, let all his feelings out and sobbed. Amazingly, it was the hope in Patamon that brought them through. 

"Look guys!" chirped the little pig-like digimon, "Would they want to see us like this?" The digimon shook their heads slowly. "Thought so!" He looked down at TK's lifeless body, looking so small. 

"TK . . . TK . . . " whispered Patamon. "Wake up . . ." The other digimon followed suit, each encouraging their own close friend to remerge from their somber state. 

__

Oh my head, thought Tai. He stirred and his eyes fluttered open hearing the call of Agumon. The boy sat up only to be gripped in a massive bear hug by the lizard digimon. 

"You're ok! You're ok!" shouted Agumon ecstatic at the return of Tai. 

"Oh course I'm ok," choked Tai, "Sheesh, I was only sleeping."

"Sora!" sobbed Bioymon nuzzling herself next to the girl.

"Bioymon, its all right. I'm here now." Sora comforted her pink friend.

"Izzy! I was rather shocked by your still appearance" said Tentomon. Izzy gave a small smile to his insect like partner. 

"Joe! Joe! Joe!" cried Gomammon tackling the older boy.

"Gah! Gomammon! I'm alive, not deaf!" Mimi and Palmon didn't say anything, they just hung onto each other crying really hard. 

"TK! It's nice to see you!" TK giggled a response hugging Patamon. 

"Gabumon, you can stop crying now . . ." said Matt rather uncomfortable with his digimon's behavior. 

It was a joyous reunion, even though the children were slightly confused by it. 

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Once they had recovered from the effects of the memory, the children and their digimon left the ruins of the old fortress and returned to the forest to discuss the plans that needed to be made. 

"Let's go over this," began Tai in a surprising thoughtful manner, "There should be eight of us, correct?" The others nodded in agreement. "Her name is Ariel and her digimon is Gatomon. She is also . . . what was that?"

"Digital Protector," replied Sora. 

"Yeah, Izzy? Any mention of that?" Tai looked over at the younger boy furiously typing away at his laptop. Izzy looked up briefly. 

"Well, I can't be sure. There's a lot of text that still needs to be translated and that will take some time. However, there is a prophecy only the meaning is vague and it doesn't give that much information over the actual person. If I could –"

"Save it," interrupted Tai. "Let's just hear the prophecy." Izzy nodded and complied with the other boy's wished. 

"Once shall be it and one will remain," started Izzy in a rather dignified tone, "This one of the children of destiny is not chosen by their crest, but by their digimon. If a digimon recognizes a characteristic of vigilance in this child, then they bestow the power to digivolve for only digimon can benefit from a gift such as this. However, this power has long ago been infused into the child, the digimon just awakens it. The Digital Protector is the guardian of the chosen children and digimon. Their destiny is to bring peace and harmony to the digital world where others could not." The others blinked in response to the information they received. 

"Whoa, that's sure a lot of responsibility," said Joe softly. 

"So is that what she is?" asked Matt. "Ariel?" Izzy gave a slow nod and moved his gaze towards Tai who seemed to pondering over something.

"Izzy . . . I remember something that Gennai, well past-alternate-world-Gennai I suppose . . . he said something about a Digital Sovereign?" Izzy returned to his laptop once more and sure enough, pulled the required information. 

"The Digital Sovereign is born as the child of light. They have the ability to make any digimon digivolve just on mere touch. This child of light is the_ balance _for the digital world for lightness and darkness. Their power merely enhances the digital world." Tai nearly recoiled in shock. 

"Are you alright Tai?" asked Sora. Tai regained his composer and gave a half smile. 

"Yeah, I'm fine. It's just that," he chuckled, "It's not everyday you learn that your little sister has the power to keep another world in balance. I mean, she could have blown me up or something when we fought over the remote." The others quietly laughed in reply, but their minds were still focused on the task at hand. 

"So what now?" asked TK his voice barely louder than a whisper. He was greatly effected by what the memory had revealed to him. Matt put his hand on top of his brother's head in a reassuring manner. TK looked up with his soft blue eyes in an innocent stare. 

"I think we should ask Gennai," stated Matt simply. His azure eyes were set in a stubborn glare. 

"Um, does anyone recognize Ariel?" tried Sora in an attempt to lighten the atmosphere. "Is she someone's sister or cousin or something?" Nobody seemed to have an answer although Joe's face seemed to give an answer on its own. 

"She sure has a lot of hair," muttered Mimi. Everyone gave her a quizzical look. "Well she does! Didn't you see that pony tail? I think her hair might be wilder than Tai's!"

"Hey!" Matt slapped his friend on the back.

"Man, your hair is like a jungle! How much gel do you use to keep that bushel in check?" Tai merely grumbled a response while everyone suppressed fits of giggles. 

"But you know," said Joe, "It felt right." Everyone nodded. It seemed like there was indeed a gap between them; something or more specifically, someone was missing. 

"All lot of things can feel right, but doesn't necessary mean they are right," said a voice admits them all. The children recognized it instantly.

"Gennai!" they chorused pleased to hear a familiar voice, one possibly with answers. They turned around to see a projection materialize in front of them. 

"Gennai," started Tai, "Do you know about this 8th child?" The old man nodded. 

"That I do. I too have seen this past event just as you have." 

"Then what do we do?" Gennai tiled his head to one side.

"It is really quite simple, but it takes all of you to work."

"Then tell us!"

"Stop interrupting! All will be known shortly. As I was saying, your 8th child is not with you do to a plan formulated by Piedmon and the rest of the Dark Masters. They believed that if they were able to destroy the existence of one of you, there would be a greater chance for them to triumph since the prophecy states, of this ancient world, that the digi destined will only win if you are all together." He paused momentarily. 

"How did he do this?" asked Izzy. 

"Tell me, young Koushirou. Have you heard of Digital Crystal?" Izzy shook his head no. "Digital Crystal is the foundation of memories for the digital world. Any event that happens is recorded in this substance. Alternate worlds are formed as well. I assume you are all familiar with the alternate-world's theory? Good. Well then, Digital Crystal's only known location is the Cavern of Chaos, a fine name for an unbalanced area if I do say so myself. Going on, the Cavern of Chaos not only holds these memories of the digital world, but the spirit of digimon that are non-existent."

"Non – existent digimon?" questioned Sora, "Is that possible?"

"To be frank, yes. Non-existent digimon are digimon that disappeared during the digivolving process or could not hold their place in the scheme of things. Their place lies in the Cavern of Chaos. Ariel's role in this is that since the Dark Master's plan has apparently worked, all knowledge of her has vanished and a new time line formed. She is in the Cavern of Chaos."

"Then all we need to do is bust her out of there!" cheered Tai.

"No!" shouted Gennai, "That is the last thing you want to do!"

"Why?" Gennai gave an exasperated sigh.

"The Cavern of Chaos is very unstable. One wrong move and you could effect the very existence of other worlds. Digital Crystal is brittle and everyone's presence is sustained in the substance. Destroy the crystal and the being is gone. Piedmon smashed Ariel's crystal. That is why she is not with you."

"That lousy jerk! Why couldn't he attack us all together!" raged Tai. 

"Yes, it was devious of him. But the good news is digimon are not permitted to go into the Cavern of Choas. It takes a powerful mega like Piedmon to go through, however his chance has been used." 

"Have you ever entered the cavern, Gennai?" asked Izzy.

"No, I haven't. But I've talked to those who've been. It's a terrible place and it questions your very being." Everyone stayed silent. "Now, then – the trick to get your friend back is simple. You actually had to with you this whole time."

"Tell me we don't click our heels," said Joe skeptically. 

"Where would you get an absurd idea like that?" responded Gennai, "Anyway, you merely needed to concentrate on an existing memory of your friend and your digivices and crests would do the rest."

"Hey!" exclaimed TK. "That happened before! I had met her, somehow – I'm not sure, it made my head spinny." 

"She made contact with you?" said Gennai interested, "Hmmm, that is interesting. I was not aware of this. Somethings will, I suppose, be learned in time." Gennai looked at Izzy once more.

"Koushirou," he asked, "Something seems to be on your mind."

"Well, its just that – in the memory, Gatomon's ultimate level was Lunar Tigramon, but I thought it was Angewomon, whose attacks were Ariel's ultimate, Ultima Protector."

"Excellent observations, Koushirou. It is interesting how a world adapts when changes are made. Kari knew she was not the 8th child, but since she is the Digital Sovereign, she had the ability to make Gatomon digivolve."

"I understand that."

"That's not all. In this world, Angewomon impaled her Celestial Arrow into Myotismon, but in the world with Ariel – it was she who caused the final blow as her final mark for your sufferings and for hers. So in a way, Angewomon was really Ariel."

"Deep," said Joe. 

"Gennai," started Tai, "How did you suddenly know what happened to Ariel? I thought all knowledge was erased." Gennai simply chuckled. 

"The mind is a funny thing bearer of Courage," he said, "Try not to let simple things stand in your way." Then the old man vanished. 

"Weird," said Mimi. 

"Definitely," confirmed Sora. 

"So, Tai," asked Agumon, "What do we do?" Tai patted his digimon on the head. 

"We give this a shot of course!" The others smiled in agreement. Tai turned his attention to Izzy.

"Izzy, any ideas on where to start?" The young boy scratched his head.

"Well, I assume we should put our digivices in a circle and Ariel's tag and crest in the center. It did react last time. And the rest of us should stand around and hold hands, I suppose."

"Do you want us to sing 'Kum-bay-aye'?" cracked Matt. 

The children complied with the directions given by Izzy as one by one they laid their digivices in a decent sized circle. Then they created a slightly larger one around the first ring clasping on to one another's hands. Their tag and crests un-tucked and the digimon scattered around them as mere observers. 

"Ok," commanded Tai, "Concentrate." 

They all closed their eyes and recalled the visions they witnessed. After a few moments passed, Tai cracked one his eyes opened to survey the scene.

"Hey," he cried out in amazement, "Nothing is happening." It did seem odd that the 8th child's crest was not glowing or floating as it did previously. They were puzzled briefly until a voice cried out.

"Because you need me." Emerging from the shadows was the familiar small white, digimon cat.

"Gatomon!" exclaimed Sora. The digimon walked foreword and bowed her head as a greeting to the others.

"You're Ariel's digimon?" asked TK, "Aren't you?"

"I hope so." Gatomon walked in the middle of the circle and set the digivice she carried in her glove down next to Ariel's tag and crest.

"Gatomon," began Tai, "Isn't that Kari's whistle?" He could recognize it anywhere. 

"Yes, she wanted you to have." She handed the whistle to him. "And Tai?"

"Yes?"

"Kari says four minutes would be better." The older boy gave a smile and teared up briefly remembering his sister.

"Alright, lets go for it!" 

Once again, they all closed their eyes fixating on her image waiting for a miracle to happen.

And it did. 

Slowly at first, an array of multicolored light burst from the digivices. Much like the light that guided them back to the digiworld after Myotismon's defeat. Then, each crest burst its signature color into the digivices' light. As this continued, the 8th child's tag, crest, and digivice floated high into the air and for a few precious seconds, time seemed to stop. But then a single white beam began to etch out a form in the air and data particles piled into the frame. Color too seeped into the image as it became three-dimensional. More and more data bytes swarmed around the figure filling it out and giving it characteristics. Then everything around it faded away. The children magically opened their eyes and looked in awe at the feat that just occurred. 

Hovering in the air in the middle of the circle was a girl of possibly no older than any of them. Her hair was indeed pulled back into a medium brown colored long, wavy pony tail, but a few strands hung loose around her face. She was clothed in a three-quarter length sleeved purple shirt and dark blue capris with white tennis shoes. The tag and crest now hung around her neck and the digivice attached to be belt loop. Her eyes were closed as if she was still in a trance, but there was no mistaking her. 

It was Ariel. 

Ariel slowly lowered from the air until her feet just brushed the ground. She stood there briefly for a moment until her brown eyes fluttered open and her body quavered. Finally, she spoke. 

"Wow," she whispered, "I'm back." She turned her head and looked at all the faces gazing at her with a perplexed look. Nobody spoke, but it was Gatomon who broke the silence.

"Ariel . . ." Gatomon stammered. She was hoping that Ariel, the girl that stood before her, was perhaps the one she was meant to be with. Was this girl her purpose? Ariel took one glance into those feline blue eyes and with out hesitation, rushed into the arms of the digimon.

"Oh Gatomon!" she cried out hugging the cat-like creature tightly, "I've missed you so much!" 

"Ariel!" Gatomon sobbed with tears flowing to the ground. She gripped onto the girl she longed to touch and to be near and it all felt so right for the little digimon. She had been alone far too long. It was certainly a precious moment for both digi destined and digimon. 

"It feels right," choked out Gatomon sniffling quite a bit, "I . . . I dreamed . . ."

"Its ok," soothed Ariel crying as well, "We're together again and that's all that matters." Ariel gently picked up Gatomon and gave her one last hug before setting her on the ground. 

"Um . . ." stammered Tai, "Hello?" Ariel gave a small smile as she wiped the tears from her eyes.

"Hey there Tai. It's nice to see you again. Actually, its nice to be whole again."

"You weren't human?" asked Joe. Ariel chuckled. 

"Eh, that depends on who's point of view. No, I was like a mere reflection of myself." 

"I don't mean to be rude," said Sora politely, "But this is . . .well, weird seeing you here. I mean, we don't remember you or anything." Ariel sighed. 

"Yeah, that's how everything worked out. The only thing I can tell you is that you just have to believe me. The memory you saw, it's real, it happened. We've been through a lot together, since we were sucked here from summer camp and," she said more softly, "our battles with Myotismon." Gatomon gently placed a paw on Ariel's hand laying against her side. 

"Excuse me," interrupted Joe, "But I don't know if we could trust you."

"Joe!" accused Gomammon.

"Well, think about it. She has no proof and that memory we saw could just be some evil spell by the Dark Masters. I'm not ready to assume anything." Surprisingly, Ariel didn't get offended. 

"I guess I shouldn't be shocked in the least bit Joe," said Ariel calmly, "You were always a stiff."

"Now who's being rude" said Joe in annoyance crossing his arms. Ariel smiled and walked towards the older boy. 

"Fine, you want proof, I'll give you proof." She paused before continuing. "When you little . . . um, 7 years old I think . . . you were always so proud of your Dad and your older brother Jim . . . your father was a doctor and Jim was studying and got to go to the hospital . . . anyway, you thought all their instruments were neat looking and you envied how they got to use them . . . so one day you went to medicine cabinet where they kept all their tools and you took out a scalpel . . . amazed, you played with it, but end up cutting yourself on it . . . you were scared they would get mad at you, but your mother merely bandaged you up and told you to think nothing of it ." She stopped and looked at Joe with soft eyes. "But you have a scar." Ariel carefully took her hands and moved them down the boy's arm until his wrist where she lifted up his watchband to reveal a small, pink scar. Joe trembled.

"H – how do you know this?" he whispered softly. Ariel stared intently into his eyes.

"Because I was there." She took one of Joe's hands and lifted it to her own wrist and turned it over to show an identical scar to his own. Joe looked back at the girl and nodded. He believed her. Suddenly, his crest glowed faintly before dying out. 

"I remember now," said Joe.

"Everything?"

"Yes!"

"Joe!" cried Ariel as the two kids embraced in much surprise to everyone else.

"Uh, excuse me?" said Tai looking confused, "Do you mind explaining what just happened?" Joe and Ariel broke their hug.

"Tai," said Ariel, "Joe and I grew up together. We live next door and both of our dads are doctors who work at the same hospital." 

"We met at Highton View Terrace through our older brothers, both aspiring to go into the medical field," finished Joe. "Like I am I suppose . . ." 

"You want to be a doctor, too?" asked TK, feeling a little more comfortable. 

"Nah, not my thing," said Ariel carelessly, "My main job is to look after my little brother, he's about a year older than you, but a lot more immature I can tell you that." TK giggled. 

"Wait a sec," said Matt, "I thought our memories was erased. Why does Joe suddenly remember?"

"I think its because they have a past history prior to the digital world," said Izzy, "Joe had something he could relate closely to Ariel." Both Ariel and Joe mildly blushed. 

"Jeeze it wasn't like that," defended Joe. 

"Yeah, he just cut me up," agreed Ariel. 

"Ok then, well how are you able to digivolve? Why did Piedmon go after you?" said Tai until Ariel held up a defensive hand.

"Whoa – slow down. There are a lot of questions and I have a lot of answers, but right now" she walked foreword into an area where the sunlight filtered in through the trees. She stretched her limber body absorbing all the warmth the rays had to offer. "Right now, I want to enjoy my freedom again and," she looked at Gatomon, "Catch up with an old friend." Both girl and digimon walked off without another word. 

"She certainly has her own opinions," said Sora.

"Can't be any worse than Matt," replied Tai. 

"Hey!"

"So what do we do now?" asked Joe.

"My guess is we wait and see," finished Tai. 

"How about you TK?" asked Matt. But TK wasn't listening for his gaze lingered on where Ariel had just departed and his thoughts were there too.

The forest offered a friendly atmosphere to both Ariel and Gatomon as the shared the moment of being together again.

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"Sheesh Gatomon!" called out Ariel as she darted between the trees, "I didn't think you were that slow!" She ran laughing as the digimon trailed behind her. 

"Hey!" Gatomon retaliated, "I'm no spring kitten!" She suddenly lost Ariel from her view. 

"Ariel!" she called out, "Where'd you go?"

"Right here!" yelled Ariel as she tackled the white cat to the ground. The two became a blissful blur as the wrestled each other, laughing and giggling, while giving each other a good-natured shove here and there. Finally, they stopped as they came to a grassy hill and collapsed on their backs panting. 

"Wow," wheezed Gatomon, "I haven't had this much fun in ages." Ariel gave a nod, too out of breath to talk. Slyly, Gatomon reached over with her paw and poked Ariel. 

"Aw come on," complained Ariel, but with a smile, "You are not going to start a poking fight!" The feline continued with a twisted grin.

"Does this bother you, does this bother you," she said as annoyingly as possible. With just a mere grunt, Ariel re-tackled Gatomon and they were once again a flurry blur. 

After the third or fourth fight, they lost track; Ariel and Gatomon could hear their stomachs grumbling rather loudly and thought it was best for them to get some food. They came to a grove of trees bearing various types of fruit that looked delicious to the starving travelers. Gatomon used her agility and climbed the trees with ease throwing a "Lightning Paw" here and there to knock fruit to Ariel waiting below. 

****

"Lightning Paw!" A bunch of melons fell from a branch.

"Watch it Gatomon!" called back Ariel, "That almost hit me!" 

"Oh it did . . . "

****

"Lightning Paw!" And before Ariel could move, a huge fruit landed on her head with an echoing splat! The juice was dripping down her shoulders and the paste smeared all over her head. Gatomon cracked up at her friend's ridiculous sight. Ariel grumbled, but then grabbed a melon and chucked it at Gatomon who was caught off balanced and hit the ground into another pile of fruit. This time, Ariel was the one laughing. 

****

"You look so funny!" sputtered Ariel clutching her stomach. 

"Look who's talking!" Gatomon picked up another fruit only Ariel stopped her. 

"Ok, I'm sorry," she held out a hand, "Truce." Of course, Gatomon shook and then both of them collapsed to the ground to consume their lunch. 

"Gosh, this is so good," said Ariel. "I haven't eaten in ages!" Gatomon gave her a look.

"What do you mean?" Ariel swallowed the fruit she had been eating.

"When I was stuck in the cave, I didn't eat or sleep or do anything. I nearly forgotten what it's like to taste." She finished her 6th melon. "Oh man, I could eat like this forever." 

"You eat like a pig." 

"Hey," retorted Ariel, "It's not my fault I have the same metabolism as you digimon. How was I supposed to know I have to consume as much food as you guys just to digivolve?" Gatomon nodded and went back to her 10th melon. Ariel sighed and wiped her mouth with her sleeve. _I'm juicy anyway, _she thought. Ariel looked at Gatomon with a caring eye. Gatomon noticed her gaze.

"What?" she asked licking her lips. 

"The way you're sucking down that melon reminds me about the time Matt and Tai had that food eating contest. They just had to see who could eat the most." Gatomon nodded and smirked.

"And in the end they both collapsed to the ground!" 

"I will never forget how they were in the bushes the rest of the night and I don't think they will either. I had to distract TK so he would leave his poor brother in piece. I bet TK still doesn't understand what happened that night!" Then a thought dawned on her and Ariel's smile faded. "They will forget because they don't remember" she muttered bitterly. 

"Don't say that," reassured Gatomon. 

"It's true," she continued getting consumed by grief, "They don't even know who I am! All they know is I'm some stupid girl they had to save who was caught in a time rift thanks to Piedmon! None of them can recall any feelings or events we shared together! I'm just a shadow!" Ariel started to cry bringing her knees into her chest. "Nothing will ever be the same, I don't belong in their world anymore!" Gatomon sprung to her feet and scurried next to her friend. 

"Listen," she said, "They believe in you and you can't doubt yourself. Their memories will come back like it did for mine and Joe's . . . you just have to be patient." Ariel looked at her with soggy eyes. 

"I know," she whispered, "I know the memories will come back, but it's the feelings I'm worried about. And what if we don't get it together, we're prey for the Dark Masters." 

"Maybe there's a way to jog their memories?" Ariel sighed and wiped her tears from her eyes. 

"I think so," she started, "If they see some images in the Cavern of Chaos, there might be a chance." She stood up. "And I think it's a chance worth taking." Gatomon smiled as they walked returning to the campsite. 

"I just hope they think so too." 

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The children had felt very worn out from all the events that went on that day. They had witnessed a painful memory and used all their possible energy to bring a friend back from the past. It was very tiring. So, it made sense to set up camp in a clear area of the forest that also conveniently had a stream to fish in. Joe and Mimi had gone down to work on catching dinner while everyone else attempted to start a fire. The digimon had run off for wood and fruit among the grove. No one questioned where Ariel and Gatomon went or asked when they would be back. 

"Jeeze Matt," began Tai, "Can you be any slower with that fire? I think I'll freeze to death before you get it going." Matt merely grumbled in response. Sora sighed and walked over towards Izzy, typing of course.

"Izzy, what are you doing?" Izzy looked up towards the pleasant voice. He didn't mind stopping for Sora; she wasn't trying to smash his computer. 

"I'm trying to access Lunar Tigramon's and Ultima Protector's profile on the digimon analyzer. I want to know how Ariel, being a human can digivolve. Does it adapt to her body? What are her attacks? Questions like these are puzzling me." Izzy sighed. "I would like to ask her about it, but I'm afraid she might be offended. I think she got rather annoyed at the idea that we were pressing her with questions."

"Well, why don't you talk to Joe? He does know her – well remembers her."

"I'm afraid Joe doesn't have the answers I'm looking for. He knows trivial stuff like personality or favorite color. I want analysis." Izzy returned to his computer and Sora retreated over to where Tai and Matt were bickering over the fire.

"Back off Tai! I know what I'm doing!" argued Matt.

"Yeah right! Why don't you let me handle the fire!" raged Tai. Sora then stepped in, pushed the boys apart, and pulled out her lighter. 

"Uh . . . Sora?" asked a puzzled Tai. 

"I keep a lighter for situations like these."

"Then why didn't you say so in the first place." Sora shrugged. 

"I figured it would give you guys something to do. But I didn't think you would act so immature about it." The boys looked down at the ground sheepishly. However, Mimi and Joe came back with the fish they had caught. 

"Yum! Fish!" exclaimed TK with glee. He hungrily ate. 

"I know what you mean TK!" agreed Sora. Joe looked at the sky, now growing darker. 

"Hey," said Joe, "Did you guys see Ariel back there?" The digimon shook their heads no. Then the bushes rustled and out emerged Ariel and Gatomon as if on cue. 

"Whoa! What happened to you?" questioned Matt as he chuckled at the pair's appearance. They were both covered in fruit paste, dirt, and grass looking incredibly messy. Ariel's hair was somewhat frizzed and Gatomon looked a little puffy as well. 

"Well, nice to see you too Matt," greeted Ariel sarcastically. Matt blushed and looked down. 

"I think what Matt meant to say," stated Sora, "Was remarking on your appearance?" Ariel looked down and brushed a few pieces of rind of her shirt.

"Oh you know food fight, race, stuff like that."

"Want some fish?" asked TK eagerly. Ariel beamed at him.

"Thanks anyway TK, but Gatomon and I already ate. I'm going to go take a bath, if you don't mind." She turned to leave, when Mimi abruptly stood up.

"Wait up! I'll come!"

"What?" Ariel turned to face her as Mimi ran up.

"Well, I thought you might want some company and if any of those disgusting boys come over," she glared hard at Tai and Izzy, "I figured it would be two against one." 

"Thanks Mimi," said Ariel smiling, "That means a lot to me." The two girls walked off and began to chat. The guys were left somewhat gawking. 

"She has a point there," remarked Sora, but then again – she never announced when she went to take a bath. 

"I like her," chirped TK as he took another bite out of his fish.

"TK," said Matt, "You hardly know her." TK stopped and frowned at his brother.

"What do you mean Matt? We used to know her, right? And she's nice, like in the memory. I hope she stays."

"So, just because she's nice you think she's better than me," snapped Matt at TK. The little boy cringed back. 

"Matt, why are you yelling at me?" 

"Yeah Matt," exclaimed Tai, "What's your problem?" He stood up facing the other boy. 

"Just get out of my face Tai," yelled Matt as he stormed off from the group. TK looked up at Sora.

"Did I make him mad?" The girl shook her head.

"No TK, I think its something else." 

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__

She shouldn't of come back, she doesn't belong here . . . 

Matt stormed along the forest path frustrated with himself and everything around him. Things were happening too quickly for him. Once minute there were seven of them, the next eight? Everything he knows, past memories he thought were real – fake? Is he supposed to forget everything? Matt collapsed on the ground and leaned on the trunk of a tree. He felt tired with the world around him. Life was getting too complicated. 

Matt closed his eyes and recalled Ariel's image. Yes, it was her. He was sure of it and there was no mistaking her. She was the one in his dreams, the one who . . . died. Matt didn't expect her to come back, but now that she was here – things were getting weird. He had to talk to her, had to know what happened. Did they face Piedmon in the alternative world? If she dies then, she could die now. And Matt couldn't bear to hurt anymore people. 

__

I snapped at TK back there. I totally lost it. I get worked up so easily. Why am I being bothered so much? Why can't I get any simple answers? He picked up a rock and threw it into the bushes to relieve the tension. 

"Ow!" came a voice. Matt snapped his head up. He didn't think anyone else was around. Matt stood up.

"Who's there?" he cried out. The bushes rustled and out walked Ariel wrapped in a towel looking wet and slightly peeved. Matt blushed heavily. 

"I – I'm sorry," he stammered. He was trying not to look at her, well – not when she was only in a towel. 

"I thought this was a secluded area," she said, "Privacy, it's impossible." 

"Hey!" retorted Matt, "It's not my fault you happened to be in the same area. If you mind, I was trying to be alone as well." 

"I'm sorry," said Ariel, "I'll leave." She turned, but Matt stopped her.

"Wait," he said, "I didn't mean it. I don't want to be alone." Ariel smiled at him. 

"Me neither," she beamed. Suddenly, she became aware of what she was wearing.

"Oh my gosh!" Ariel exclaimed darting behind a bush. 

"I tried to warn you," joked Matt. "At least you're not as bad as Mimi. Last time when Tai walked in on her, he had the biggest lump I had ever seen." Ariel laughed from her location.

"I remember that! She carried on for days!" Matt paused.

"Excuse me?" Ariel peeked her head out.

"I was there, I have always been there" she said softly. 

"Oh," he said. _Smooth. _

"Just now," she continued, "Mimi was so paranoid. She jumped at every noise claiming it was one of you guys." Ariel stepped out smiling. "But she's good company." Matt nodded. 

"If you like ditzes."

"Well, if you like smart-asses." Matt whirled his head around surprised at the sarcastic humor. Ariel was giving him a very cocky smile as she strolled over to him. 

"Another music walk?" she asked gesturing to the harmonica in his hand. He shrugged. 

"You can say that." He played a few notes, then stopped. "What's it like?"

"What's what like?" Ariel replied.

"Digivolving." Ariel stopped and looked at the night sky now trimmed with stars as far as the eye can see. She sighed deeply and raised her hands above her head, then twirled in a circle for a moment. 

"The night," she said after a moment, "It's really beautiful, isn't it?"

"You're not answering my question."

"Does it really need an answer?" Matt looked at her intently. 

"I need to know." Ariel moved closer to him. 

"Why Matt? Why does change mean anything?" she leaned back and moved her hand to her chest. "My heart is still the same no matter how I look on the outside. No matter the powers or the appearance. I'm still Ariel when I digivolve. Gabumon is still Gabumon even as Tsunomon or as Metal Garrurumon." She raised her eyes to him. "You're still Matt, no matter who you want to be." Matt narrowed his eyes and turned away from her. 

"Even if I'm still the same jerk," he muttered dryly.

"Yes." Matt turned his gaze, surprised by the remark.

"And what's that supposed to mean?" Matt accused. 

"Think about it Matt," began Ariel, "If you are meant to change, you will." She stood up clenching her fist. "But you just have to learn to accept who you are and others will accept you. I know and you should know too." Matt looked at her with a bewildered face. Ariel sighed. 

"Of course you don't know what I'm talking about, because you don't remember. Figures." She sighed again. "When I first found I had to ability to digivolve I wasn't amazed or pleased or felt I had changed. I was scared."

"Scared?"

"Yes. I was terrified that I had power and I didn't know why. Why me? And I didn't know my purpose. How was I supposed to protect everyone? Then, another thought hit me: how would all of you react?"

"I suppose we would have been supportive?" Ariel gave him a hard stare.

"You say that now. No, I believed that you would reject me, feel I didn't belong. I also thought so too. I tried keeping my digivolving a secret, but it was impossible because I couldn't fight the feelings that went with it."

"What kind of feelings?"

"The overall calmness and I felt light!" Ariel became more enraptured as she spoke. "It was great and felt like I was something!" She paused. "Gatomon knew I was something and that's why she gave me this." She held out her, hand, which bore a golden ring on her ring finger. "It's Gatomon's tail ring." Matt nodded.

"So I see. So, how did you finally get over it?" Ariel gave a half smile and turned her head towards the campsite.

"TK." Matt nearly fell back being startled by her response.

"TK?!" 

"Is that so hard to believe? The first time I digivolved was also when Gatomon digivolved into Tirgramon at the mansion Devimon lured us into. But, I realized the importance of my powers when I saw Devimon grab TK at Infinity Mountain. TK didn't care who I was on the outside, he just knew me from the heart." Matt leaned back down. 

"He does have that hope in him." Ariel nodded. 

"And I was wrong. Everyone accepted me although Izzy wanted to run some tests, but I won't go into that." Matt gave a slight chuckle.

"Sounds like Izzy." 

"Yeah." Ariel lay down on the grass next to Matt and tucked her hands behind her head. The two pre-teens relaxed as they gazed up at the stars. There was a common understanding surrounding them. 

"Thanks Matt," whispered Ariel.

"For what?", he whispered back.

"For listening." 

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The campsite was shutting down as the remaining six digi destined prepared to go to sleep. The fire was still blazing while they gathered leaves for beds. TK was still a little upset over Matt's disappearance and there was no sign of where Ariel or Matt went off to. Mimi had returned from her bath, very pleased for once, and said Ariel had gone somewhere else to dry. 

"Ok," announced Tai, "Agumon and I will take first watch, if that's ok. " He was somewhat pleased to hear no arguments, but that was due to Matt not being around. Tai continued. "Sora and Biyomon have second. Izzy and Tentomon third. Finally, Joe and Gomammon fourth. Is everyone all right with that?" The group nodded. 

"Then it's settled. Good night!" However, they were interrupted by Matt and Ariel's entrance. Their digimon were very pleased to see them. 

"Thanks for joining us," commented Tai folding his arms. Sora rolled her eyes. 

"Hey there," she said, "We were getting a bit worried." 

"We just got a little side tracked," said Ariel. Matt just simply nodded and walked over to Gabumon in a mildly secluded area. 

"Tai?" asked Izzy, "We should go over a plan for tomorrow. Now that our numbers are up," he stole a quick glance at Ariel and Gatomon, "It might be a good time to plan for battle." Tai nodded enthusiastically in agreement.

"Yes! We've been cowering too long! It's time to fight and save the digital world! If we are all together, then we should be able to defeat those Dark Masters!"

"Wait," spoke Ariel, "We may be reunited, but your memories are still in shambles. The spell isn't completely broken yet." Tai gave her a glance.

"So what do you suggest?"

"As Gennai had told you, the Cavern of Chaos holds records of memories for the digital world. It is dangerous to digimon, but has a positive effect for humans. I can bring you there and let you absorb the memories. That should balance out everything."

"Are you sure?" asked Sora, "It sounds dangerous." 

"It is, but it's the only way I know of. The Cavern of Chaos is supposed to remain hidden and now that I'm free of it, its location will fade away from me. So, now is the time to use it while it's still available."

"Sounds like a plan," confirmed Tai always willing for an adventure. Then, he and Agumon walked over to their post for the first watch of the night. 

"Good night everybody," said Sora pleasantly. She gave a yawn before curling up with Biyomon. 

"Try not to wake me Joe when you get up for your watch," mumbled Mimi as she snuggled near Joe. The older boy blushed a bright red.

"Yeah . . . I'll do that." Gomammon and Palmon snickered before going to sleep as well. Izzy nodded off on his laptop with Tentomon near by. 

"Night Matt, night TK," said Ariel as she lay down for a good night's sleep. Gatomon curled up next to her body very much like a cat. 

"Wake me up squirt when it's my turn to watch," said Matt as rolled on his side. He didn't hear a response nor felt a small body near him. "TK?" The little boy had moved over towards Ariel and rested his head on her lap with Patamon in his arms. Ariel gladly shifted her position for TK. She stroked his head for a moment before laying her hand at her side and drifting to sleep as well. Matt scowled in the darkness. 

Ariel breathed easy. She was finally back where she belonged. 

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Author's Note: Part 6 is on the way, this chapter was more character development than anything else. More story context should follow as they head towards the Cavern of Chaos, which will get slightly more angsty and slightly more Taiora. Thanks and please R&R!


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